Both secondary schools and community colleges are under pressure to increase the technical content of their curricula to produce graduates who can fill highly skilled technician jobs in a changing work force. Technical Preparation (Tech Prep) Programs are partnerships between these two institutional levels that incorporate career counseling and curricular cooperation. In Michigan, a statewide task force was charged with developing models for the Tech Prep concept in the state. The task force identified three essential components for each Tech Prep program (i.e., leadership, guidance/counseling, and curriculum) and recommended a level of state support necessary to implement successful programs. The leadership component involves institutional decision makers, business and industry, coordinators for each high school/community college partnership, and partnerships to ensure that high school completion students have access to Tech Prep. The key elements of guidance and counseling for Tech Prep include student selection, career awareness/exploration, self-awareness, career planning, student assessment and placement, and education/employability development plans (EDP) beginning in high school which will lead to a technical career. The curricular component focuses on the following competencies: abstract thinking skills, social and work skills, technical literacy, and technology education. To implement Tech Prep in Michigan, state support will be needed in public relations, evaluation, technical assistance and the development of demonstration programs. Appendixes include examples of an EDP, Technical Preparation Competency requirements, organizational structures, three established partnership programs, the minutes of Task Force general meetings, and a 54-item bibliography. (JSP)