A stream of people dressed like extras from a home improvement show passes by the office of Dr. Mary Cantrell, director of the Manatee Technical Institute. There's the guy in a chef's hat, followed by the auto mechanic. Cantrell watches the parade with satisfaction. With local employers begging for more skilled workers, technical schools are more important than ever.

Industry, education and trade associations are reaching out to parents, telling them that college is not the only path to success. As Cantrell says, those social science diplomas often have limited value in today's job market. What the economy needs are more people who can build, fix and make things. These are not the unskilled trades of yesteryear, she stresses; today, the trades are legitimate careers that require a high degree of technical knowledge. Auto mechanics wear white surgical gloves as they work on your Lexus computer system and can make $75,000 a year. Appliance repair, boat building, Web design, plumbing, machining and carpentry require mathematical and computer skills. And rather than being relegated to a life of low pay, well-trained young tradespeople can expect to out-earn many college grads.

Here's a look at some recent technical-school graduates who are finding a promising future.

DAVID ALLIGOOD
Field: Automotive Service
Employer: Professional Automotive Services

College wasn't even a consideration for David Alligood when he was a senior at Palmetto High School. He was already training for a career in the automotive service field.

"I've always loved cars-hot rods," says Alligood.

The owner of Professional Automotive Services recognized that passion and sent Alligood, now 20, to MTI after he graduated. Alligood continued working and completed the three-year program in two years. He earns $12 per hour now, and as he gains experience and knowledge in time, he can expect to earn $25 an hour as a flat-rate technician.

Though the pay is good, Alligood says, "Money has never been an issue with me. I'd rather have a job I love to do every day, something that I'm good at. I could never sit at a desk all day pushing papers."

He learned quickly during his technical training that working on modern cars was nothing like tinkering with his rides as a kid.

"The technology from the cars that I used to work on is a completely different deal," he says. "Everything is monitored by the computer, so you definitely need the training. You could learn on the job, but it would take you much longer, and you would have to have someone willing to teach."

SADIE MARTINELLI
Field: Dental Assistant
Employer: Andrew Martineau, D.D.S.

Sadie Martinelli's voice-mail greeting describes her as the student who graduated "with honors" from the dental assistant program at MTI. She talks readily and about her budding career, with obvious pride. "It's not so good if you're not getting your teeth fixed, but it's interesting if you are," she admits.

Martinelli, 25, attended Booker High School but never graduated. She concedes she "drifted off" for a while before giving birth to a daughter-and then came a lot of responsibility. "I knew I had to make sure I could support her and me," Martinelli says. "So I took my GED test in July 2003, and, before I even got my results, I was going through the enrollment process at MTI."

She was already volunteering at a dental clinic, so the 1,230 hours of technical training she embarked on seemed natural. Martinelli finished the course in about 18 months, including her internship.

Working for Dr. Andrew Martineau is her dream job right now, she says, especially compared to her options if she had no technical training: "I would be struggling waiting tables probably, doing the same thing I was before. I was barely scraping by on $16,000 a year. Now it's $22,000 or $23,000. What I'm getting paid now is appropriate for my training."

BRYAN KELSEY
Field: Precision Machining
Employer: DN Machining

Bryan Kelsey, 21, never considered a four-year college. While being home-schooled, he enrolled in a machining technology program so he could get into the workforce as soon as possible. He browsed through a catalog and toured Manatee Technical Institute before choosing his field.

"I had an interest in a few different fields, and machining was one of them. It turned out to be something I really like," Kelsey says. "I didn't want to spend four years at school. I wanted to get some real skills and start earning money."

Just two years later, he is a supervisor with DN Machining in Bradenton, earning $30,000 a year. "I just did my best and applied myself. I got noticed here," he says.

There is high demand for trained, skilled technicians in machining, doing everything from lathe operation to electrical discharge machining. DN Machining takes raw materials such as steel or aluminum and makes parts for a range of products, including housings for cameras that hang from news helicopters and other electronic uses.