Conditions that pose obstacles to re-entering individuals in obtaining jobs also contribute to the difficulty they face in maintaining employment. According to a National Institute of Corrections study which incorporated findings from several focus groups and a survey of 512 practitioners, the obstacles to job retention cited most often were substance abuse (cited by 68 percent of respondents), limited transportation (63 percent), limited knowledge of workplace culture (34 percent), and limited support meaningful to the offender (29 percent). ^[1]   Accordingly, studies from even the best programs, such as the Safer Foundation and the Center for Employment Opportunities (discussed in Policy Statement 21), indicate that although the majority of individuals secures employment upon release, job retention is a challenge. For example, job retention for CEO participants in 1996 at one month of employment was 75 percent.[ ^[2]  , ^[3]   This proportion dropped to 60 percent after three months and to 38 percent after six months. ^[4]   In 1996, the retention rate for Safer Foundation participants who were still employed after the initial 30 days was 81 percent after two months, 75 percent after three months, and 57 percent after nine months. ^[5]   Two-thirds of 18- to 21-year-old youth who completed Safer's basic employment education course were placed in school, training, or employment within thirty days; almost sixty percent were still employed, in school, or in training at 180 days. ^[6]