After examining societal factors that shape the role of vocational education, this paper presents instructional delivery and faculty development models designed to meet the vocational education needs of contemporary society. The report first identifies, as part of a model for educational viability, three forces affecting vocational programming: society's demands for a trained workforce, the individual's demands for fulfilling employment and upward mobility, and the subject matter taught in response to the demands of both. The interaction of these forces is then examined in an historical review of the development of vocationalism in American higher education. A discussion follows of forces currently affecting vocational education, including increasing fiscal conservatism and the diversity of students and their needs and demands. The paper then presents four models for increasing educational effectiveness: (1) a student achievement model, which depicts student success as a function of his/her ability to define and work toward personal goals; (2) a model for individualized instruction, which gears the instructional and adjunct operations of a college toward meeting the learning objectives of students; (3) a counseling model designed to increase retention by helping the student to set and achieve realistic goals; and (4) a faculty growth model, which provides incentives and support. Diagrams illustrate the models. (JP)