The lack of emphasis on occupational literacy competencies in most public school reading curricula leaves students poorly prepared for the demands of the workplace. Most jobs require mastery of the following literacy competencies: technical vocabulary; locating and using information; following directions; and self-monitoring of comprehension and performance during work tasks. While it is not possible to equip students for specific job settings, teachers can help students develop these literacy competencies by using such instructional techniques as semantic mapping, monologing, metacognition, and reciprocal teaching. (Two diagrams and 16 references are attached.) (MHC)