Major emphasis has been placed on preparing students for college. Studies indicate that most of the job openings available between now and 1980 will not require a college education; however, a large number of them will require specialized training. Programs need to be initiated or expanded for occupations promising substantial demand and program areas with declining demand and large enrollments need to be curtailed or perhaps eliminated. Since emerging economic trends have their roots in the past, an historical perspective is required to assess the labor force status of the three major ethnic groups in Texas (Mexican Americans, blacks, and Anglos). Each student's aptitudes and interests must also match the training undertaken. This report examines: (1) the occupational education programs available to students in grades 9-12 in 11 Texas public school districts; (2) vocational education enrollment patterns for the State as a whole and for these school districts; (3) vocational enrollment patterns in comparison to the State's manpower requirements; (4) the economy in terms of industry structure and occupational composition; (5) expected changes in the industrial structure and their effect on occupational demand; and (6) implications of the occupational demand trends in terms of current patterns and emerging trends in high school occupational education. The appendixes consist of tabular data by ethnic group for vocational enrollment (State and district) and occupational employment (State and city). (NQ)