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Vocational school and high school trade programs

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 11, 2026

What career and technical education (CTE) is

Career and technical education is what used to be called vocational education. The main federal law behind it is the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, known as Perkins V, signed on July 31, 2018. The U.S. Department of Education says it provides "nearly $1.4 billion annually" for CTE programs for young people and adults. See the Department's Perkins V page.

Under the law, CTE means a sequence of courses that teaches academic content plus "technical knowledge and skills" and leads to "technical skill proficiency or a recognized postsecondary credential, which may include an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate degree." It can include work-based learning (time with professionals in a real workplace or a simulated one at school) and career exploration starting as early as middle school.

Each state names one state board to run CTE. In Washington, for example, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) approves "every CTE course." Washington groups CTE classes into 16 "career clusters," and under Perkins V a program of study should end with "a recognized postsecondary credential." [1][6][7][8]

Dual credit: college credit while in high school

Perkins V asks CTE programs to connect high school and college "to the extent practicable," through articulation agreements (deals where a college accepts certain high school courses), early college high school, and "dual or concurrent enrollment" that gives college credit or advanced standing.

Washington shows how this works in practice. OSPI lists three course-based options:

• CTE Dual Credit: a CTE class at the high school or a regional skills center that "can earn a student college credit." You can choose at the end of the course whether to accept the college credit.
• College in the High School: college-level courses taught at the high school.
• Running Start: college classes on the college campus, taught by its faculty.

OSPI notes that Running Start and College in the High School start an official college transcript, so they carry more "risk" as well as more chance of real credit. Each college decides what it accepts, so check with the college you plan to attend. Ask your school counselor what your state offers. [6][9]

One example: a high school construction trades program

The Construction Trades program at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver Public Schools, Washington, shows what one high school trades program includes. It's an example, not a recommendation: programs differ from school to school, so ask what your own district and skills center offer. Students apply and must be accepted. According to the school:

• Coursework covers "framing, plumbing, foundations, basic electrical," ending in capstone projects.
• Required courses include Building Trades, Intro to Construction Trades, two Core Plus construction courses and an "Internship in industry (WBL)."
• Students "earn certificates of completions with the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute, CPR/First Aid, OSHA 10," and some earn a forklift certification in spring of senior year.
• Some courses offer certification or dual credit.
• Students must keep at least a 2.5 GPA, take three Construction Trades courses, log 10 community service hours each year and present a capstone project.

The school calls it "a State of Washington recognized Apprenticeship Preparation program" aligned with local apprenticeship programs. Washington's Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) lists "Vancouver Public Schools Building Construction Trades" on its list of recognized apprenticeship preparation programs and notes it "only serves currently enrolled Vancouver Public Schools Students." The same list includes other high school and skills-center programs. [2][10]

Washington's statewide approach

Core Plus Construction. Many Washington schools teach construction through Core Plus Construction, a free curriculum from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Washington Education Foundation that the program calls "an official Washington State program of study." It is a 1,080-hour program of study. Depending on the district, students can earn third-year math, science or English credits along with CTE credits, and students can earn a Core Plus Construction certificate that OSPI recognizes as an industry-recognized certificate. The program says it is offered in 90 school districts and 12 skill centers.

Apprenticeship preparation programs. Washington's apprenticeship council (the WSATC) formally recognizes "apprenticeship preparation" programs: education and training programs that keep a formal articulation agreement with at least one registered apprenticeship. Under WSATC Policy 2012-03 (revised October 16, 2025), each agreement must give graduates preferred entry (a "tangible and specific benefit" when they apply, such as extra points in scoring or a guaranteed interview), advanced standing or credit (credit toward the apprenticeship's classroom or on-the-job hours, or a higher starting wage step), or both. A recognized program must be at least 80 hours long and set a goal that at least 15% of its graduates enter a registered apprenticeship, measured 12 months after graduation, or 18 months for programs serving K-12 students. L&I's list of recognized programs includes several high school and skills-center programs.

Not every Core Plus class is an apprenticeship preparation program. The Core Plus program itself says it "was not built to support pre-apprenticeship" without significant changes, that some schools have adapted it, and that the 15% placement standard makes that status hard for a standard high school program to keep. (Core Plus's FAQ describes the standard as placement within 12 months; the council's current policy measures programs serving K-12 students at 18 months.) Ask whether a specific program is on L&I's list and which apprenticeships it has agreements with. [10][11][12][13]

Texas: high school courses that lead to a license exam

Some states let CTE coursework count toward a trade license. Texas is a clear example:

• Residential wireman (electrical). Texas law lets you qualify for the Residential Wireman exam with 4,000 hours of on-the-job training or by completing an approved career and technology education program. A sequence of electrical courses in a high school or college CTE program lets you "apply for and take an examination" without the 4,000 hours. Instructors must be licensed as a master electrician, journeyman electrician or residential wireman. But hours spent in the program "may not be credited toward any on-the-job training" for other Texas electrician licenses. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) adopted rules for these programs effective September 1, 2024, last amended effective July 1, 2026. The rule (16 TAC §73.110) lists the courses: Principles of Construction, Electrical Technology I and II, and a practicum in construction technology (three credits), with at least 80 percent of practicum time spent outside the classroom under a TDLR-licensed master electrician, on behalf of a licensed electrical contractor. Programs can't award credit by examination. See Texas electrician licensing.
• Tradesman plumber-limited. A person who completes a sequence of plumbing courses in a CTE program "may apply for and take an examination" for the tradesman plumber-limited license, and the plumbing board can't require you to register as a plumber's apprentice, pay any fee or meet the usual apprentice-experience requirements to take that exam. Separately, the plumbing board "may credit" up to 250 hours of work experience for a State Board of Education-approved sequence of construction courses. See Texas plumber licensing.

You still have to pass the state exam in both cases. [5][14][15][16]

Skills competitions: SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a student organization for CTE students, with chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges. It says it represents more than 444,000 CTE students and teachers. Students compete at local, regional and state levels in "competitions created and judged by industry." At the national SkillsUSA Championships, "more than 6,000 state champions compete in well over 100 skilled and leadership events."

To join, SkillsUSA says to ask your CTE teacher or school counselor whether your school has a chapter. If it doesn't, your teacher or counselor can call SkillsUSA's Customer Care Team at 844-875-4557. [17][18][19]

Youth apprenticeship: starting at 16

A registered apprenticeship is a paid job with training, registered with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) or a state agency. Federal rules require each program's standards to set an "eligible starting age not less than 16 years." Each program sets its own minimum qualifications, which can be stricter; see how to get an apprenticeship.

DOL says registered apprenticeship is a pathway for "young people ages 16–24," and that many apprenticeships "connect with CTE, dual enrollment, and pre-apprenticeship opportunities." It describes two common models:

• Pre-apprenticeships that prepare students to enter a registered apprenticeship, ideally with direct entry for completers. See pre-apprenticeship programs.
• Registered apprenticeships that begin in high school, community college or dual enrollment, so you start the apprenticeship while still a student.

DOL says it served 415,560 young apprentices in 2025, concentrated in construction, public administration and educational services. Read more on DOL's Apprenticeship for Young People page. [3][4]

Under 18 on a construction site: child labor limits

Federal child labor rules still apply to 16- and 17-year-olds. DOL's Wage and Hour Division says 16- and 17-year-olds "may be employed for unlimited hours in any occupation other than those declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor." The Hazardous Occupations Orders (HOs) that matter most in construction include:

• HO 5: most power-driven woodworking machines, including nailing machines.
• HO 7: power-driven hoisting equipment, such as forklifts, skid-steers, backhoes, scissor lifts and cranes.
• HO 14: circular saws, band saws, chain saws, reciprocating saws and abrasive cutting discs.
• HO 15: wrecking and demolition (but not minor remodeling or repair).
• HO 16: roofing and all work on or about a roof.
• HO 17: trenching and excavation, including work in a trench more than four feet deep.

DOL says there is "a limited exemption from HOs 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17 for apprentices and student-learners who are at least 16 years of age and enrolled in approved programs." Under the federal rule, the hazardous work must be "incidental" to training, "intermittent and for short periods of time," and under "direct and close supervision" of a journeyman (for apprentices) or a qualified person (for student-learners, who also need a written agreement signed by the employer and the school). There's no such exemption for HO 7 or HO 15.

State law can be stricter: when both apply, "the law with the stricter standard must be obeyed." See DOL's Fact Sheet #43 and check your state labor department's rules. [20][21]

After high school: trade school or apprenticeship?

The basic difference is who pays. In a registered apprenticeship you're an employee paid on "a progressively increasing schedule of wages," while a trade school charges tuition and fees. For grants, the GI Bill and job-center training money, see how to pay for trade school. If you want a paycheck right away while you look for an apprenticeship, see helper jobs.

Before you enroll in a school, look it up:

• College Navigator, from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, covers more than 7,000 schools, including "programs offered, retention and graduation rates, prices, aid available," and accreditation.
• College Scorecard, also from the Department of Education, shows data on "college costs, graduation rates, and post-college earnings."

Does school count toward a license? It depends on the state and the trade. In Texas, for example, CTE program hours lead to the Residential Wireman exam but can't be credited toward on-the-job hours for other electrician licenses, while the plumbing board may credit up to 1,000 hours of required work experience if you finish the classroom part of a training program approved by DOL's Office of Apprenticeship or by the board. Check your state's page under electrician, plumber, HVAC or general contractor, and confirm with the licensing board before you pay for a program. [4][5][16][22][23]

How to find a program

• In high school: start with your school counselor or CTE teacher. Ask which CTE pathways your district and any regional skills center offer, whether any courses carry dual credit or industry certifications, and whether a program has agreements with local apprenticeships. Each state has one agency in charge of CTE; in Washington it's OSPI, which has a Career and Technical Education page.
• Apprenticeships: search DOL's Apprenticeship Job Finder by occupation and location. If nothing is open, DOL suggests the Partner Finder to learn when programs accept applications.
• Washington: L&I's apprenticeship preparation list names recognized programs, some open only to a district's own students.
• Trade schools after graduation: compare schools on College Navigator and College Scorecard (above).

For the full step-by-step on applying, see how to get an apprenticeship. [6][7][10][22][23][24]

Questions people ask