Industry's needs for highly skilled workers are not currently being met. The U.S. needs more than a half-million people in skilled worker training programs now. Not enough young people are choosing to be trained in these areas, and compounding this problem is the reality that the average age of the current skilled labor force is 55--ready for retirement soon. Recruiting high school students into technical programs is crucial. To increase the number of high school students in all tech programs two major obstacles must be overcome. One, high school counselors must realize the earnings potential of technical workers and how important these skilled workers are to the nation's economy. Two, more students must learn about the work of skilled technicians, the opportunities for advancement or the possible incomes. Using successful recruiting techniques is a key to overcoming these problems. One very successful approach is using a classroom visit. Contacting a career-minded high school instructor can give you the necessary opportunity. Be sure to include instructors of upper-level math, science, computers and drafting, as students who are competent in these areas are often highly successful in technical careers. Following this classroom visit, it is advisable to have a day that these students can visit your institution. Make the most of this visit. It is ideal if the students can tour the facility that houses the equipment used by each tech program, allowing students to watch and learn what each occupation is about. Successful recruiting takes careful preparation, but the obvious interest and positive comments from both the visiting instructors and their students are precursors to a higher enrollment.