A tech prep (TP) curriculum merges academic programs and career preparation and is a direct attempt to rethink both the purpose and the method of secondary schooling for many students. TP sprang from the employment legislation of the 1960s and was given strong impetus by the education reform movement of the 1980s. Congress authorized national funding for TP programs in the 1990 Perkins Act. Applied academics are the heart of TP. A TP curriculum is competency based and fuses secondary and postsecondary education into one articulate program. Its four instructional strategies originate from the characteristics of the modern workplace. They are applications-based instruction, cooperative learning, problem solving, and learning styles. A number of elements crucial to the success of the TP program require professional development for the faculty. Schools must form links with outside resources. School leaders must change faculty attitudes. Faculty must develop a balanced core of common learning, be trained in alternate methods of measurement, collaborate with other disciplines, and be trained in ways to provide students with active learning opportunities. TP calls for partnerships between schools and business and industry. Characteristics of effective partnerships are a school-business/industry liaison, a written specific agreement, collaborative leadership, meaningful incentives for participation, outcome-based and measurable results, and continuing support. TP has been implemented successfully in Indiana, North Carolina, and Texas. (Contains 30 references.) (YLB)