With the economy in the dumps, many laid-off workers are heading back to school, hoping to find a new skill and a new job.

The demand for retraining is so high that some colleges are warning there will be no retraining spots left by next spring.

"We've spent a lot more money for this time of year than normal. And we are going to run out in the spring and going to have to turn students away unless we can find some more money," said John Huber of Highline Community College.

Meet two of the new students, Misty Tutsch and Karin White. They've been looking for a job for two months and five days.

"I've given myself a time frame to find another job and if I can't find one, I'll have to move to another state," said Tutsch, a laid-off professional.

"My days consist of getting up in the morning and looking on the Internet," said White. "I usually apply for five to seven a day. So far I've had one face-to-face interview and two phone interviews."

Both are victims of the housing crunch. They worked for Countrywide. And now the big question is what can they be trained for.

Huber feels he can find a job for eight out of ten people who come to the college.

"If a student already has good office skills and computer skills, they can learn medical terminology and go to work in a medical office where there is fairly good demand right now," he said.

In another classroom, Candace Balcom-Paulino, who was laid off at the Seattle Times, and Forrest Jones, a laid-off architect, getting new graphics training.

"I think the guys are going to give me the tools here to keep going," said Balcom-Paulino.

"There's always some new software coming out, new skills. Hopefully, I can fine-tune some of those," Jones said.

The retraining program does work. There are just a couple of problems. There's no telling whether Legislature will provide funding for additional students. And if you'd like to be a nurse, there is already a 200-person waiting list.