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The Indian Government remains committed to the policy of diversification of the secondary curriculum, despite considerable evidence that vocational secondary education is struggling to establish itself. This article provides detailed information on the experiences and views of the limited number of successful graduates from secondary vocational courses who have entered the world of work. It draws on evidence from a large survey, conducted in Gujarat in 1996, of the views of students and ex-students of such courses. The evidence confirms the findings of previous studies that participation in vocational secondary education is linked to the students' socio-economic status, caste background and parental educational level, but also indicates that poorer students, driven by economic necessity, and with fewer private and familial resources, are the most likely to accept entry into the world of work at the end of their vocational schooling.