Vocational-technical education (VTE) today encompasses a diverse array of programs to equip students with work and life skills. A widening skills gap in the nation's work force, coupled with the fact that only about 20% of the nation's current jobs require a four-year college degree, has made VTE more important than ever before. Research has confirmed the following: VTE graduates earn more than nonvocational high school graduates, VTE trains students for well-paying in-demand occupations, VTE can help students with disabilities perform better in school and find jobs afterwards, and VTE participation decreases educationally disadvantaged students' risk of dropping out. VTE's success has been attributed to the following: its balance of basic and occupational skills, tech prep, its hands-on approach, on-the-job training, and vocational student organizations. Hundreds of programs available to VTE students generally fall into the major areas of health occupations, business, trade and industrial, agricultural, marketing, technology, home economics, and technical education. Included among the more than 20,000 U.S. institutions currently offering VTE programs are more than 11,000 comprehensive schools, nearly 1,400 secondary area vocational-technical centers, and nearly 9,400 postsecondary institutions. VTE maintains strong links to business and community and is supported by a combination of federal, state, local, and private business funds. (MN)