There is currently more focus than ever on the importance of earning a college degree. At the same time, many students and parents are dubious that America's expensive, one-size-fits-all higher education system can adequately educate students for an ever more diverse and sophisticated world of work. There are other educational options that are worth more sustained and serious attention. Technical programs provide many students with marketable job skills, often for far less time and money than four-year bachelor's degrees. Even still, many policymakers are hesitant to endorse tracking students into occupational training programs, and parents tend to have higher aspirations for their children than technical training. In turn, it is unclear that students and parents are learning about these options at an early stage, or that consumers are generally aware of these programs' likely return on investment. American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) Center on Higher Education Reform sought to highlight a diverse array of technical training options available to students today, which led to AEI commissioning four case studies on high-quality occupational training programs that strive to prepare students for the workforce. The case studies answer the following questions: (1) How do students learn about these programs?; (2) What makes them work well, and what challenges do they face?; and (3) How successful are their graduates? These case studies are examples of interesting attempts to align education with the demands of today's labor market, which can not only aid researchers and policymakers, but also help inform practitioners who might consider offering similar programs in the future.