As many of us are learning to face the realities of the current economic recession, some members of the workforce are being hit especially hard. Among those groups struggling to stay afloat are teenagers and recent high school grads. The unemployment rate for teenagers is nearly double that of older workers, and in some companies in which layoffs are impending, younger workers may be some of the first to get cut.

For years, many experts have expressed the idea that a college education is the best bet for career success. But has a new economic landscape made anyone consider the less expensive, less time-intensive alternatives? Across the country, some vocational schools are positioning themselves as institutions that help teenagers and young adults learn real-world skills.

Depending on who you ask, vocational schools get a bad rap. Critics who don’t understand the inner workings of good vocational schools often label them as places for students who aren’t necessarily college material.

But at Sollers Point Technical High School, near Baltimore, Maryland, instructors and staff members are working to combat this negative image. To gain admittance, students must pass an admissions test, and to stay in the program they have to keep their grades up. Sollers Point also has ties with a traditional high school in the area, and students here earn their regular diploma in addition to any extra certification.

The school’s principal, Diane Young, says she hopes all of her students continue on to earn a college education. But for students who choose a different path, she knows they will still walk away with one of the most important rewards of an education: marketable skills.

So, though the job outlook may be especially uncertain for younger members of the workforce, don’t give up! Whether or not a four-year school is the right choice for you, marketable, specialized skills will always be in style, no matter where you learn them.