This article describes a prospective blinded outcome study of a vocational
social skills training program developed in Hong Kong for people affected b
y chronic schizophrenia. The aim was to improve their ability to find and k
eep a job. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: a social sk
ids training group with followup support, a social skills training group wi
thout followup support, and a comparison group who received standard after-
care treatment. Participants who had participated in either of the training
groups statistically outperformed those in the comparison group, Those rec
eiving the training plus followup were statistically much more successful a
t finding and keeping a job than participants in either of the other two gr
oups. A comparatively small amount of followup contact (a monthly group mee
ting or phone call) for 3 months after the training finished had a very sig
nificant effect on participants' success rate.