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The US 1998 Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (known as Perkins III) directs the Secretary of Education to complete an 'independent evaluation and assessment of vocational and technical education programs under this Act'. This National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) is to support the broad goals of improving vocational education and to provide Congress with information in anticipation of the reauthorisation of the Perkins Act, scheduled for 2003. This interim report is the first NAVE report and its focus is on the patterns of participation at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The report is structured as follows: the first chapter provides an overview of the 1998 Perkins Act, NAVE and this report; the second chapter discusses education, labour market and policy factors that are likely to shape vocational education and Perkins reauthorisation and defines vocational education and its objectives; chapter three looks at trends in the nature of high school-level vocational course taking and the academic courses taken by vocational students as well as the characteristics of vocational students; chapter four examines the characteristics, educational needs and reasons for enrolment of those participating in postsecondary vocational education; and the final chapter summarises the key themes from the report and also outlines the topics and policy questions to be covered in the final NAVE report.