The Nebraska Department of Economic Development names nearly a dozen industries targeted for growth in the coming years, and nearly all of them offer entry-level jobs that are accessible to candidates with training from career and technical schools in Nebraska. If you've ever considered a career in fields like renewable energy, health care, information technology and advanced manufacturing, trade school training can help you get there.
Matching your training to the job market demands in your area can go a long way toward finding secure, well-paid employment. For example, the Grand Island Area Economic Development Corporation lists manufacturing and alternative energy among its key industries, and the Omaha metro area offers some of the state's highest wages for welders and carpenters.
Why is Nebraska Good for Vocational/Career Schools?
There are a few reasons that Nebraska students might pursue a career technical education (CTE) credential instead of a four-year bachelor's degree at a university. Time to completion is a key factor for many career-focused students, and many CTE certification programs in Nebraska can be completed in less than a year.
There's also a significant difference in cost between universities and career and technical schools. In Nebraska, university students paid an average of nearly $8,200 for a year of tuition and fees in 2018. In-state trade school and community college students paid less than half that amount, averaging just over $3,200 for a full year of instruction.
Whether you're considering your first CTE certification in Nebraska or want to go back to school to advance in your career, we've got information that can help. Read on to learn about the best two-year schools in the state and get some guidance on how to apply for financial aid in Nebraska.
Highest-Paying and Fastest-Growing Careers in Nebraska
The Best Trade and Vocational Schools in Nebraska
We collected a huge dataset from the U.S. Department of Education and other trusted sources and analyzed it to determine which Nebraska institutions were the most affordable, the most flexible and the most likely to produce successful graduates. Check out our list of the best trade and vocational schools in Nebraska below:
The data suggest that student success is a high priority at Northeast Community College. No other Nebraska trade school that we surveyed reported a higher percentage of first-year students returning for the second year of their programs, and the graduation rate here was better than any other school on our list. What's more, over 92 percent of graduates find work and remain employed for six years or more after finishing their programs.
What vocational programs Northeast offers: The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in agribusiness at Northeast can teach you how to run a successful production farm or ranch and features agribusiness professionals as guest lecturers. Students interested in computer-aided design (CAD) can earn A.A.S. degrees in four different specialized drafting methods or a general drafting diploma.
In order to determine the average net price at a given school, analysts estimate the total cost of tuition, fees, books, supplies, food, housing, transportation and other essential parts of student life and subtract the institution's average amount of grant and scholarship aid per student. Metropolitan Community College posted the second-lowest average net price in the state, charging students less than $6,500 for a year of study.
What vocational programs MCC offers: A wide range of degrees and certificates are available entirely online at this Omaha school. Information technology students can choose from associate degree programs in database management, server administration, cybersecurity and more, and business certificates are available in fields like financial planning, bookkeeping and entrepreneurship.
Anyone hoping to make use of the flexibility of online trade schools in Nebraska should take a look at the catalog at Central Community College. More than 41 percent of the students here attend at least some of their courses on the institution's virtual campus, and numerous individual courses are available through distance education. Nearly 30 degrees and certificates at CCC can be earned entirely online.
What vocational programs CCC offers: The list of online programs here is one of the longest and most diverse in the state. Fully online certificates are available in fields like early childhood education, health informatics, Cisco networking and library and information services, and online diplomas or associate degrees can be earned in information technology, medical coding and business administration.
Graduate success in the workforce is an important statistic for a trade or vocational school, and Southeast Community College sits near the top of the list in two main graduate success categories. Nearly 91 percent of graduates from this Lincoln institution keep their jobs for at least six years after graduating, and their average salary was higher than those reported by all but one other school in the state.
What vocational programs SCC offers: More than 60 degree, diploma and certificate programs are available on SCC's three campuses and online. Students hoping to provide top-tier heavy machinery service and maintenance can pursue a diesel agricultural equipment service technology degree or enroll in a construction and forestry equipment technology program developed in collaboration with the John Deere company.
Mid-Plains Community College took the top spot among all online trade schools in Nebraska for its percentage of students earning credits in the virtual classroom. Close to half of the students enrolled at this central Nebraska school took some or all of their courses via distance education in 2018. MPCC also boasts one of the most close-knit learning environments in the state, with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1.
What vocational programs MPCC offers: A rare training program in classic car restoration is available at this North Platte school, designed to teach students automotive technology and auto body concepts that apply to classic vehicles. Artistic students can pursue an A.A.S. in graphic design and visual communication that teaches design software courses in both Windows and MacOS environments.
If affordability is a top priority for you, Western Nebraska Community College is a trade school worth considering. The average net price at this Scottsbluff school was the lowest in the state in 2018, with students paying an out-of-pocket average of just over $6,200 for tuition, fees, housing and all associated college expenses. WNCC also has a robust online student community, reporting roughly 31 percent enrollment in distance education courses.
What vocational programs WNCC offers: Emergency medicine is one of the most exciting and rewarding careers in health care, and the A.A.S in emergency medical services at WNCC can help you get the skills you need to make a difference. Programs in the classical trades, such as welding and automotive technology, are available as well.
The numbers show that degrees and certificates from Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture tend to hold high value on the job market. This southwestern Nebraska school reported an average salary of $52,700 for former students with ten years of experience in the workforce, placing it among the top five schools in the nation in that category, and no other school in the U.S. reported higher job security numbers for graduates of its programs.
What vocational programs NCTA offers: As a branch of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NCTA offers high-quality instruction in a range of detailed agricultural fields. A.A.S. degrees are available in dairy science, animal husbandry and diversified agricultural management, among other subjects, and certificates are offered in fields like crop production, equine training and irrigation technology.
How to Apply for Trade School Financial Aid in Nebraska
Even though trade school training is relatively inexpensive when compared with a university degree, not everybody has enough cash on hand to afford their tuition out of pocket. Fortunately, financial aid programs are available to take some of the sting out of your college bills.
If you're not sure how to apply for financial aid in Nebraska, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the first document you'll want to know about. The FAFSA the key that unlocks valuable federal aid programs like Stafford Loans and the Pell Grant, and most state-funded Nebraska scholarships and grants also include it in their list of required documents when you apply.
To learn more about the FAFSA and other important financial aid concepts, check out our comprehensive guide to financial aid. Here's a short list of Nebraska scholarships and other programs that might be able to help you pay for your college training:
- Nebraska Opportunity Grant (NOG) - Roughly 33 percent of Nebraska community college and career school students receive this grant each year, with an average funding amount of around $1,350.
- Community College Gap Assistance Program - Designed to close the skilled labor gap in the Nebraska workforce, this program helps low-income students earn degrees in high-demand vocational subjects.
- Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship Program - This need-based program provides funding to Nebraska high school students who want to get a head start on their college education by taking early- or dual-enrollment classes.
Resources for Vocational Students and Vocational Job Seekers in Nebraska
- Learn all about the five member colleges of the Nebraska Community College System at the organization's system info site.
- Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education works to align Nebraska trade schools, community colleges and universities with the state's economic and education policy goals.
- Only accredited schools are guaranteed to deliver education and training that meets a quality standard generally accepted by employers and college registrars. A regional association known as the Higher Learning Commission provides accreditation for public trade schools in Nebraska, and specific training programs or facilities may be accredited by independent national groups like the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS) or the American Welding Society.
There's also a page on Advance CTE dedicated to providing hard data on CTE certification in Nebraska, including statistics about CTE schools and jobs for graduates. Check out the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) for news and notes about CTE programs and policies in Nebraska and info about the national career technical education landscape.
