Upward mobility programs in the service sector for low-skilled, economically disadvantaged, and dislocated or displaced workers promote employment security, career development, and productivity. Two basic types of upward mobility programs are basic and job-specific skills training. Although 60-80 percent of all employer-sponsored formal training in service industries is provided on site, companies have a growing interest in using external resources. Traditionally, labor and management have viewed worker training as the purview of the employer. Union-sponsored programs are expanding their scope. Program availability is related to business characteristics; company size seems to have an overriding influence. Training programs specifically designed for the worker groups studied are relatively scarce. Three conditions contribute to program success: (1) availability of adequate training resources and management support; (2) labor and/or worker involvement in program design and implementation; and (3) joint labor-management cooperation in program design and operation. Factors that impede successful outcomes include requirements for workers to commit their own time to participate, additional expenses related to training, the stigma attached to remedial training, and lack of monetary rewards. The private sector needs to explore strategies to overcome the lack of resources for worker training, corporations need to promote a positive organizational culture, and the Federal Government needs to support efforts to develop upward mobility programs. (330 references) (YLB)