AN AUTOMOBILE MECHANICS COURSE AT THE NEW YORK FACILITY FOR WOMEN IS ONE OF ONLY A FEW NONTRADITIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN PRISONERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN PRISONERS IS LOW COMPARED WITH THE NUMBER OF INCARCERATED MEN AND BECAUSE WOMEN IN STATE PRISON SYSTEMS SERVE THEIR TIME IN ONLY ONE INSTITUTION, THEY ARE OFFERED A SPARSE SELECTION OF PROGRAMS IN COMPARISON WITH THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS. VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS, IN PARTICULAR, ARE NOTABLY DIFFERENT FOR WOMEN. TRAINING OFFERED TO WOMEN IS ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION IN SUCH TRADITIONAL FIELDS AS COSMETOLOGY, COOKING, SEWING, AND CLERICAL WORK. THERE HAVE BEEN FEW ATTEMPTS TO OFFER WOMEN COUNSELING AND TRAINING IN SKILLS THAT WILL GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO CLIMB OUT OF LOW-PAY, LOW-STATUS SITUATIONS. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE DISPARITY BETWEEN VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR MEN AND WOMEN ARE ABUNDANT IN BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL PRISONS. GIVEN PREVAILING CONFLICTS BETWEEN WHAT MOST CORRECTIONAL OFFICIALS THINK WOMEN WANT AND WHAT WOMEN ACTUALLY SAY THEY WANT, THE PROBLEM IS HOW TO OFFER MORE WOMEN OFFENDERS TRAINING IN SKILLS THAT WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH BETTER PAYING JOBS AFTER THEIR RELEASE. THE ANSWER MAY BE TO EXAMINE THE PRISON CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM CAREFULLY AND GET MORE WOMEN INTO ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION OR INTO WORK OR TRAINING RELEASE PROGRAMS. SUCCESSFUL STATE PROGRAMS OFFERING NONTRADITIONAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING ARE SPONSORED BY PRIVATE INDUSTRY AND LABOR UNIONS. AFTER MUCH PLANNING, THE U.S. BUREAU OF PRISONS MANAGED TO START TWO APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS IN FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR WOMEN. THE PRISON SETTING THE PACE IN PROVIDING NONTRADITIONAL PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN IS THE BEDFORD HILLS FACILITY FOR WOMEN IN NEW YORK. THE FACILITY OFFERS COURSES IN AUTOMOBILE MECHANICS, ELECTRONICS, AND VIDEO TECHNOLOGY. THE PRISON HAS RECEIVED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR A COURSE IN BUILDING-MAINTENANCE TRADES AND IS APPLYING FOR A GRANT TO OFFER COURSES IN COMMERCIAL ART AND DRAFTING. ALL 13 GRADUATES OF THE AUTOMOBILE MECHANICS COURSE, STARTED WITH A GRANT FROM SEARS, ROEBUCK AND COMPANY, HAVE BEEN HIRED BY SEARS, BUT ONLY 7 HAVE REMAINED ON THE JOB. PHOTOGRAPHS ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)