Trade, Tech & Vocational School: Whats the Difference? Center for Employment Training

If you know you want to pursue a career in the skilled trades, attending trade school can be beneficial. Skilled trades take a practical approach android vs ios app development to education and training, shortening the time needed to learn a subject and allowing you to start earning a wage right away. Read on to learn about education requirements and career outlooks for some of the highest-paid skilled trades on the job market. They offer several advantages over traditional four-year degrees, including lower tuition costs, shorter program durations, and the potential for high earnings. Trade school students often have job opportunities lined up before graduation and benefit from hands-on training and industry connections. Additionally, many trade programs are in high demand and offer job security.

Types of Vocational Training (Trade skills)

Many electricians work exclusively on residential or commercial structures that utilize low-voltage systems. Some specialize in the electrical wiring of factories or electrical equipment maintenance in other industrial settings (such as a power plant). Specially trained lineworkers work on high-voltage transmission and distribution lines. A construction manager’s role involves planning, overseeing, and coordinating activities related to specific building projects. How these concepts are grouped shows that the terms can be (and are often) used interchangeably.

Below, we list eight quick-to-learn trades that can lead to long, fulfilling career paths. When groups of trade school students graduate together, they may find it difficult to land jobs or apprenticeships in their area. Too many graduates in the same field can saturate the local market and cause high competition for entry-level jobs. Research the projected job growth rate for potential careers in your area before choosing a trade school program. Trade school, sometimes called vocational or technical school, helps you learn job-focused skills to help you join the workforce in a specific role or trade.

What Careers Do Trade Schools Help Prepare You For?

Trade school may present some downsides, like limited school and financial aid options. In the end, trade school programs offer many benefits to people seeking a skilled career that does not require a degree. However, specialized training programs at vocational schools can be hard to find. You may need to relocate to study at a technical school offering the specific program you are interested in. Trade school offers training for specialized, in-demand careers with greater job stability.

• If you know which hands-on career you want to pursue after your education, trade school may be the way to go.
• Too many graduates in the same field can saturate the local market and cause high competition for entry-level jobs.
• Discover the benefits of vocational school to determine if it’s right for you.

Types of trade school programs

Students who want to pursue non-trade careers may find that vocational school is not the right fit for them. Learn more about trade school, how it differs from community college, and the advantages of attending. Discover various trade school programs and jobs, learn about the cost of tuition, and find out how long trade school lasts. If you’re looking to enter the skilled trades industry, a technical school can offer the practical training you need to start a new career.

Welders work with equipment like welding torches to manipulate metal and fuse pieces to either repair or build, depending on the project. Other examples of skilled trade professionals include computer vision libraries electricians, plumbers, hair stylists and automotive technicians. A high school diploma or the equivalent is required to become an elevator repairer. These professionals typically complete apprenticeships to learn their trade. Some specific skilled trades have even stronger growth projections.

Education Levels

A technical school, on the other hand, may have more classroom lectures and simulated job training. However, some trade schools teach tech school-style courses and have many of the same programs, so the difference is not always obvious. Trade schools offer many different types of programs, such as technical, vocational, and career programs, depending on the field you choose to study. While some trade schools have programs spread across one campus, others have more than one campus to serve a variety of programs.

On average, an automotive technician earns $51,940 in annual wages. Smaller class sizes also lend to individualized learning experiences. Instructors have more bandwidth to give each identify the simplest model of sdlc student dedicated support both in and outside of the classroom—so get ready to get to know your professors and ask them questions. The benefit of this structured schedule is that students receive intensive training for continuous periods. Following a routine schedule can make it easier to form learning habits that enhance information retention.

Brenna Swanston is an education-focused editor and writer with a particular interest in education equity and alternative educational paths. As a newswriter in her early career, Brenna’s education reporting earned national awards and state-level accolades in California and North Carolina. EMT-Basic training covers the minimum groundwork for performing basic life-saving functions. EMT-Intermediate programs offer instruction for more advanced skills, such as administering medications for asthma or cardiac arrest.

A trade school job is any vocation that meets that definition, and you can train for at a vocational college or technical institute. Essential services like plumbing and nursing usually survive recessions because these professionals are needed regardless of the economic climate. A history major in a traditional four-year college, for example, takes supplemental courses in math, sciences, English and other subjects. Trade school students don’t need to take classes outside of their field of study. A student learning to become a plumber, for instance, enrolls only in courses related to the installation, maintenance, extension and alteration of plumbing systems. Many trade schools offer GED assistance or even free GED preparation.