A RANDOM SAMPLE OF EMPLOYERS IN 17 PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES WAS INTERVIEWED TO IDENTIFY THE CLUSTERS OF COMPETENCIES AND JOB TITLES ASSOCIATED WITH ENTRY AND ADVANCEMENT IN OFF-FARM AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS AND TO DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE LEVELS OF SELECTED VOCATIONAL COMPETENCIES NEEDED. A SAMPLE OF 105 JOB INTERVIEWS WAS DRAWN FROM EACH OF THE OCCUPATIONAL AREAS OF AGRICULTURAL MECHANICS, AGRICULTURAL SUPPLIES, FOOD PRODUCTS, FORESTRY, AND ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE. TWO RANDOM SAMPLES OF 105 EACH WERE THEN DRAWN FROM ALL THE JOB INTERVIEWS. COMPETENCY FACTORS FOR COMPETENCIES NEEDED TO ENTER AND TO ADVANCE IN OFF-FARM AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS WERE DETERMINED BY FACTOR ANALYSIS WITH VARIMAX ROTATION. ALL DATA WERE ANALYZED FOR 12 COMPETENCY AND 12 JOB TITLE FACTORS. SOME FINDINGS WERE--(1) JOB TITLE FACTOR GROUPS TO ENTER AND TO ADVANCE FOR MANAGER, SALESMAN, TECHNICIAN, AND SERVICE WORKER WERE IMPORTANT JOB TITLES IN THE TWO RANDOM SAMPLES, (2) THE JOB TITLE FACTOR OF MANAGER WAS IMPORTANT IN EACH OF THE FIVE OFF-FARM AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATION AREAS, (3) THE COMPETENCY FACTORS IN AGRICULTURE WERE PLANT SCIENCE, ANIMAL SCIENCE, AGRICULTURAL MECHANICS, AND AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, AND (4) AMONG BUSINESS AND DISTRIBUTIVE COMPETENCIES, THE FACTOR GROUPS WERE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS, SALES AND BUSINESS SKILLS, JOB AND EMPLOYEE CHARACTERISTICS, AND EMPLOYEE-SUPERVISOR RELATIONS. THIS D.ED. THESIS, SUBMITTED TO THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, IS AVAILABLE AS 67-1940 FOR $3.00 ON MICROFILM AND FOR $6.80 AS XEROXED COPY FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC., 300 NORTH ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48106. (WB)