Independent schools (that is, nontraditional proprietary and nonprofit private colleges) that specialize in shorter term technical, vocational, and business curricula are doing a better job providing short-term vocational education than are traditional two- and four-year colleges that typically offer a wide variety of degrees. While traditional institutions provide both general long-term preparation and short-term skills, the time has come to recognize that independent schools have advantages that make them the last providers of short-term vocational education in this country. Included among these advantages are the following: (1) they manage to place more students in jobs of their fields of interest; (2) they have lower dropout rates; (3) they generally provide for more contact hours of instruction and for more hands-on learning; (4) while the independent schools may seem relatively costly when compared to other forms of education, their services may ultimately be more cost effective because of shorter instructional times and higher placement rates; and (5) since independent schools are market-driven, they are more accountable to employers than are traditional institutions. (MN)