Many handicapped workers fail in competitive employment situations for social reasons rather than for the inability to perform required work tasks. Such individuals are usually those who need to be trained under conditions more closely matching those of the workplace. Thus, work-related social skills should be taught, at least in part, in work settings. Factors to be considered in making the decision to focus training on work-at-school experiences, competitive employment, or a combination of both, are the student's age, motivation, readiness to perform jobs, previous work experience, evidence of lack of skill, availability of work opportunities, level of administrative support, and adequate release time for teachers to develop and use work experiences for vocational training. Successful employment programs employ two strategies: reasonable accommodations by business (e.g., altering tasks), and training of social skills within normal work routines or in special training sessions. Systematic long-term follow-up should be a fundamental part of all employment training and placement programs, including on-side visits, interviews with the client, and follow-up with work supervisors and co-workers. (JW)