The federal government's experience with adult retraining programs began in 1962 with the passage of the Manpower Development and Training Act and creation of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. When the 1973 Comprehensive Employment and Training Act expired in 1982, Congress enacted the Job Training Partnership Act. During the 1980s, states developed programs to fill the market gap between perceived need and federally funded services. Evaluation evidence was available for five government-sponsored programs targeted to displaced workers and one program for disadvantaged workers that distinguished the impact of classroom training from that of on-the-job training. Private sector employers made more substantial investments in training programs as shown by private sector retraining programs primarily directed to workers at risk of being displaced from their jobs. Evidence provided by the displaced worker demonstration projects indicated clearly that job search assistance speeded up the reemployment of displaced workers. Results were less favorable for classroom training in vocational skills. Reasonably favorable results for classroom training were obtained. OJT had a more immediate and sustained positive impact on the earnings of both adult women and men than classroom training. Women were usually found to benefit from retraining and other reemployment services at least to the same extent as men. (Appendixes include 17 endnotes and 5 tables. Contains 21 references.) (YLB)