In this study, North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) graduates from 1986-1987 were examined 10 years after graduation to see if they had gained additional education and salary. The study's primary purpose was to address the accountability of community college co-op education. Within the study, the term, co-op refers to an educational program integrating classroom studies with paid, productive work experiences related to a student's academic or career goals. A total of 674 surveys were sent out and 259 were returned, yielding a 38% response rate. The respondents were divided into three groups: (1) co-op graduates from a college offering cooperative education; (2) non co-op graduates from a college offering cooperative education; and (3) non-co-op graduates from a college not offering cooperative education. The study found no significant differences among the three groups in terms of their completion rates of additional education in latter years. Moreover, the proportion of graduates who indicated that their employers required them to complete additional education to receive a salary increase was also nearly equal among all three groups. Overall, the study showed that participation in co-op education had little effect on the rate of additional education or salary increase. The investigator suggested the need for further research on this topic and possibly development of new co-op education models. (Contains 158 references.) (GC)