Tips for Choosing the Best Trade School

Whether you are taking your first educational steps after high school graduation, exploring changing careers or investigating programs to enhance your current skills, trade schools can be a valuable resource. Most often, trade schools offer diploma, certificate or associate degree programs in fields such as heating and air conditioning, auto repair, truck driving, culinary arts, medical assistance, computer science and programming, and/or plumbing. And this just scratches the surface of available opportunities.

Trade schools, sometimes referred to as vocational schools, offer courses that provide hands-on experience in the field you are interested in pursuing. They can help you obtain licensure or other credentials needed to excel in your chosen field and perform the duties of a particular occupation. While the majority of trade schools are reputable, and make the best interests of their students a priority, a few may be motivated by increasing profits and enrollment. Therefore, it is important to do your homework before enrolling in any vocational program to ensure you are choosing the best trade school and will receive the most valuable return on your investment of money and time.

Tips for selecting the best trade school

1. Accreditation: After narrowing down several trade schools you are interested in attending, find out if the school is accredited by a nationally recognized agency, meaning the school has met certain quality standards outlined by the accrediting agency. The United States Department of Education maintains a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies, and your high school guidance counselor can also provide insight into accreditation processes.
2. Licensing: Many states require that trade schools obtain licensure or certification to offer courses and programs. The Directory of Higher Education Officials maintains a list of state licensing agencies.
3. Transferring: If you plan on pursuing further education following completion of a program at a trade school, find out whether or not the school's courses will transfer to credit at the college or university you are considering.
4. Campus visits: Be sure to visit the school in advance. The best trade schools will be open to allowing you to sit in on a class and talk to instructors and/or current students. They may also be willing to provide a list of employers with whom you can speak regarding how well prepared they think the recently hired graduates were for employment.
5. Background check: Before enrolling in a trade school, consult the Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau in the state where you live, and where the school is located, to ensure there have been no complaints filed against the school.
6. Financial aid: Some trade schools may offer loan programs, but be certain to investigate the repayment terms and interest rates before making a commitment. The United States Department of Education also offers several student financial aid programs which come in the form of loans, work-study programs and grants. Choosing the right financial assistance option is crucial to your long-term success. Not being able to meet repayment obligations can result in a negative mark on your credit and lead to problems obtaining a car loan, mortgage or even the possibility of having money owed automatically deducted from your pay check.
7. Safety: You will be spending a lot of time at the school you choose. It is important that you feel safe, secure and comfortable at the institution. You can contact the United States Department of Education's Office of Post-secondary Education (OPE) for information regarding the number and type of criminal offenses reported by the school. More than 6,000 colleges, universities and trade schools are represented on the OPE Campus Security Statistics web site.
8. Documentation: Get everything in writing. The best trade schools will not make any promises that they do not also include in the admissions paperwork you are required to sign. Take your time when reviewing documents and check that there is a grace period after signing that will allow you to void your admission if you wish.
9. Compare: You would not purchase a car or an expensive piece of electronic equipment without shopping around for the best price and offer. Choosing the best trade school should involve the same initiatives.

Ask advisors and yourself some of the following questions in order to better understand what you expect to get out of your education as well as what the school can offer you:

1. Which program is most cost effective?
2. Do the fees include costs for books, supplies, equipment, parking, etc…?
3. How long will the program take to complete?
4. What school has the most up-to-date and sophisticated equipment on which to learn?
5. What are the success rates of graduates - how many find employment within six months of graduation?
6. What are the drop-out rates?
7. What is the average starting salary for recent graduates?
8. Does the school offer job placement assistance after graduation? If so, how long after graduation will they continue to offer assistance?