In short
To find trade schools near you, pick your city below or fill out the form with your ZIP code, and schools that teach your trade can contact you. Before you talk numbers with any school, check that it is accredited (the U.S. Department of Education keeps a database), look up its tuition on College Navigator, and ask for the total cost in writing. Fill out the form to hear from schools near you.
Check any school before you talk numbers
Three free tools. None of them are ours, and none of them are ads.
- Accreditation database (DAPIP). The U.S. Department of Education keeps a database of accredited institutions and programs, based on what accrediting agencies and state approval agencies report. The department says the data isn't audited, so call the accrediting agency if it matters.
- College Navigator. Run by the Department's statistics office. Look up a school's programs, whether it's public, nonprofit or for-profit, and what it charges in tuition and fees.
- College Scorecard. The Department of Education's tool for looking up schools and the programs they offer.
Rather have schools come to you?
Tell us a trade and your ZIP code. Five questions, about two minutes.
Four questions for every school
- Is it accredited, and by whom? Look it up. Don't take anyone's word for it, including ours.
- What's the total cost, in writing? Tuition, fees, books, tools, testing, uniforms. All of it.
- How many hours will I spend doing the work? Booth time, shop time, clinical hours, behind-the-wheel hours. Hands-on is what you're paying for.
- What happens after? Ask what share of graduates got jobs in the trade, and ask to see last year's numbers. If the answer is a dodge, that's an answer.
Three kinds of places to learn
Community and technical colleges
Public colleges offer certificates and associate's degrees in many trades, including HVAC, welding, auto and diesel, and medical assisting. BLS lists community colleges and vocational-technical schools for most of them. Compare the total cost, not the sticker.
Apprenticeships
Electrician, plumbing, pipefitter and ironworker are mostly learned through paid apprenticeships run by unions, contractor associations and employers. Apprenticeship Finder is the federal government's list of openings.
Private trade schools
Private schools offer programs in welding, truck driving, HVAC and more. Ask every one of the four questions above, and compare against a community college near you.
Pay where you live
National medians are on our pay page. For pay in your state or metro area, the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program publishes state and area numbers for each job. It's the same source we use for the national figures. Pay near your home may be higher or lower, and starting pay is lower than the middle in every trade.
Questions about finding a school
My city isn't on the list. Can you still match me?
Yes. The form matches you by ZIP code and the trade you pick, whether or not your city has a page.
How do you pick which schools to show?
Schools near your ZIP code that teach the trade you picked can contact you. Not all schools are listed, and we don't rank them. Schools may pay us when they enroll or are contacted by someone we introduce, and you never pay us.
Is a community college better than a private school?
Neither is better in every case. Compare the total cost in writing, the hands-on hours, the accreditation and what happens after. Then compare against an apprenticeship if your trade has one.
Can I do this online?
The form asks whether you want in-person or online. For hands-on trades most of the learning has to happen in person, so ask each school how much of the program is online and how the rest is handled.