Training from career and technical schools in West Virginia can prepare you for a wide range of skilled labor careers. The roots of the energy and manufacturing industries run deep in the Mountain State, and other top sectors like information technology, agriculture and automotive technology each offer entry-level jobs for trade school graduates.
Combining your trade school training with a targeted job search in the right city can make it even more likely that you find the type of job you're looking for. The area around Huntington offers above-average salaries for automotive technicians, for example, and Charleston was one of the ten highest-paying cities in the country for welding, soldering and other metalwork jobs.
Why is West Virginia Good for Vocational/Career Schools?
There are two main reasons that students in West Virginia might consider career technical education (CTE) when planning their career path. It's typically a faster route to the workforce, for one, with many trade school certificates taking less than a year from enrollment to graduation and diploma or associate degree plans rarely taking more than two years of full-time study to complete.
West Virginia CTE certification also tends to cost substantially less than the four-year study plans in most university programs. The average cost of a year of tuition and fees at West Virginia universities topped $7,600 in 2018, but programs at public trade schools and community colleges charged an average of just over $4,000.
In order to help you make an informed decision about where to train for your career, we collected data from the U.S. Department of Education and ranked the best trade and vocational schools from top to bottom. Read on to the end of the page for some tips on how to apply for financial aid in West Virginia and some info about a few top West Virginia scholarships.
Highest-Paying and Fastest-Growing Careers in West Virginia
The Best Trade and Vocational Schools in West Virginia
Students report that college cost, schedule flexibility and a reputation for graduate success in the workforce are among the most important qualities that a trade school can have, so we focused on those areas in our rankings. Here's our list of the best trade schools in West Virginia:
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is one of the best online trade schools in West Virginia by enrollment, reporting the state's highest percentage of students taking advantage of distance education options. More than 69 percent of the over 1,400 learners enrolled here in 2018 took at least some of their credits online.
What vocational programs Southern offers: Students looking for a quick jumpstart to a welding career can take the 6-credit program in industrial welding at Southern, which provides a solid introduction to shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and gas metal arc welding (GMAW) techniques. A welding concentration is also available through the certificate program in industrial technology, along with advanced manufacturing training in machining and mechatronics.
When it comes to affordability, no other trade school in West Virginia reported better numbers than this Wheeling institution. Average net price is a measure of college cost that subtracts the expected amount of financial aid from scholarships and grants from the total estimated cost of tuition, fees, housing, food, transportation and other essentials. West Virginia Northern Community College reported an average net price of just over $4,300, making it one of the 50 most affordable trade schools in the country.
What vocational programs WVNCC offers: Energy sector training at WVNCC includes an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in mine maintenance technology and a degree or certificate in petroleum technology. Tech-savvy students can earn a A.A.S. degrees in cybersecurity and software engineering.
West Virginia Junior College is a private, for-profit institution that operates three campuses throughout the state. The Morgantown campus reported the state's highest graduation rate in 2018, It's one of the top online trade schools in West Virginia by enrollment percentage, reporting that around 68 percent of students took some of their credits online.
What vocational programs WVJC-Morgantown offers: Healthcare programs make up the largest portion of the catalog at WVJC-Morgantown. The associate degree plan in nursing prepares students with the knowledge and skills they need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), and the diploma plan in clinical medical assisting can get you trained and ready to enter the job market in just a few months.
The Charleston campus of West Virginia Junior College put up strong numbers in terms of student engagement, posting the highest first-year student retention rate in the state and falling short of the top spot in graduation rate by less than two tenths of a percentage point. WVJC-Charleston also reported one of the state's largest percentages of graduates still gainfully employed ten years after finishing their training programs.
What vocational programs WVJC-Charleston offers: Students considering a career as a dental assistant can train on dental procedures, office management, patient records management and more in the dental assisting degree program. The associate degree plan in business administration here can be completed on campus in Charleston or entirely through online distance learning.
Huntington Junior College is one of the more affordable training destinations, reporting an uncommonly low average net price for a for-profit institution and beating all but two schools on our list in that category. This for-profit school also deserves a mention among online trade schools in West Virginia, thanks to its online enrollment rate of around 34 percent.
What vocational programs HJC offers: Business-minded trade school students have a few programs to choose from here. The associate degree in accounting can teach you what you need to know to create and maintain accurate financial records for businesses of various sizes, and the business management degree provides training in business communications, marketing, economics, customer service and more.
If you don't want to be distracted by the hustle and bustle of a busy campus, then Mountain State College may have what you're looking for. This private, for-profit institution near the bank of the Ohio River has the smallest student body in the state, counting a total of just 23 students on its attendance rolls in 2018.
What vocational programs MSC offers: Students at this Parkersburg school can choose from a catalog of two study plans. The associate degree in medical assisting trains students in the administrative and clinical functions of hospitals, doctors' offices, community clinics and other medical facilities, and the degree in dependency disorders technology prepares graduates to take on the challenges of entry-level positions in substance abuse counseling and treatment.
The Beckley campus of Valley College, a private, for-profit trade school with locations in West Virginia and Ohio, is another option for students hoping to attend a quiet, close-knit institution. This small school reported a total enrollment of just over 100 students in 2018. Student success was one of the top statistical categories at this southern West Virginia institution — the graduation rate was just one percentage point lower than the state's top trade school.
What vocational programs Valley Beckley offers: A 10-month medical clinical assisting program and a 6-week professional nursing assistant program are the two study plans available on campus at Valley Beckley. Online students have five programs to choose from, including associate degree plans in business administration and cybersecurity.
How to Apply for Trade School Financial Aid in West Virginia
Even if you choose an affordable school and organize your program in a way that makes sense for your budget, the cost of college-level training can still seem like a lot to handle. Thanks to financial aid programs at the federal, state and individual school level, however, you may be able to get some help dealing with the sticker price of your trade school program.
The first thing to know about trade school financial aid is that there's one document that functions as a kind of skeleton key to dozens (and maybe hundreds) of potential sources of aid. The Free Application for Student Aid, or FAFSA, collects information about your student status and your personal financial situation and uses it to determine your eligibility for a wide variety of aid programs.
Filling out your FAFSA is the only way to qualify for federal aid from programs like the Pell Grant, and many West Virginia scholarships and institution-based grants also require that you have a FAFSA on file in order to qualify. Take a look at our financial aid guide for more detail on the FAFSA and other important financial aid concepts.
Here's a list of West Virginia scholarships and other state-based aid options to look into while you're budgeting for your training program:
- WV Invests Grant - This state-funded program aims to cover the cost of tuition and fees for select degree and certificate programs, particularly those in high-demand job fields in the state.
- West Virginia PROMISE Scholarship - Graduates of West Virginia high schools with a GPA of 3.0 or higher can apply to be awarded up to $4,750 toward tuition and fees at public colleges or recognized independent institutions.
- Learn and Earn - This program, similar to work-study or apprenticeship, provides students with a part-time, entry-level, wage-earning job in their field of study.
Resources for Vocational Students and Vocational Job Seekers in West Virginia
- The West Virginia Community and Technical College System website has loads of information about trade school training and career education in the state.
- Students looking for help in planning their education and career journey can check out the College Foundation of West Virginia, which offers guidance and advice for students in high school and beyond.
- It's important to make sure that your training comes from an accredited school, meaning that an outside agency has evaluated the program provided and found it to meet an accepted national standard. The Higher Learning Commission accredits public institutions in West Virginia, while private trade schools are typically accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
Vocational training info portal Advance CTE also has a page where you can get some raw data on the difference that career and technical education can make to West Virginia students. For more information about the large-scale benefits of career training, check out the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).