In Washington, urban centers enjoy rising wages and low employment; rural areas have stagnating wages and high unemployment. Most family-wage job opportunities are in occupations that require some postsecondary education but not a four-year degree. The shortage is most severe in the supply of skilled workers with vocational training. Technology demands higher skills; high performance work organizations need workers who can think. Two population trends challenge the state's ability to meet the demand for skilled workers. Growth in the work force is slowing, and an increasing number of new entrants come from populations that traditionally receive less education: people of color, economically disadvantaged, women, and people with disabilities. The work force training system must adapt to the growing diversity of workers and prepare the coming generation of young workers for full participation in the world of work. Facing these challenges is a system encompassing 16 state and federal programs, hundreds of education institutions and training providers, and thousands of students, workers, and employers. A set of four long-term goals, objectives for the next 2 years, and specific actions have been defined. The goals are as follows: to prepare students for further education and work; to close the gap between economic demand and the supply of postsecondary technical training; to make the training system a coherent and integrated system of customer services; and to hold training programs accountable for results. (YLB)