What Is a Trade School?
| Update: March 26th, 2025
If you're exploring educational options, it’s likely trade school will come up in your search. You might have heard the term tossed around, but exactly what is trade school?
Essentially, trade schools provide specialized training in specific career skills or trades. Think of it as a place where you get hands-on training for specific careers, such as becoming an electrician or an automotive technician.
Trade schools have a lot to offer, such as:
- Learning real-world skills directly related to your profession
- Receiving practical, career-focused training
- Entering the workforce faster with skills employers need
If you're interested in entering the workforce sooner rather than later, trade schools are definitely worth considering.
Trade School vs. Four-Year School
When deciding between a trade school and a four-year school, it really comes down to what you want to achieve. Trade schools are perfect for those who know exactly what they want to do and want to specialize in a specific trade or skill. You get focused training that prepares you for immediate employment.
Four-year schools, on the other hand, provide a broader education with more general courses. If your chosen career requires a degree, a four-year school might be the right path. But if you're clear about your career goals and want a direct route to a job, trade school is an excellent choice.
What Are Trade School Career Paths?
The career paths available through trade schools are incredibly diverse and promising. For example, you could become any of the following, to name a few:
- Welder
- Solderer
- Electrician
- Security installer
- HVAC tech
- Mechanic
- Parts specialist
At UEI College, our career services team supports students by helping them build professional resumes, practice interview skills, and connect with local employers for job opportunities. They also offer career fairs, and ongoing guidance from enrollment to graduation to help students succeed in their chosen careers.
Discover Your Path at UEI College
If you're considering a career in skilled trades or specialized fields, UEI College is a great place to start. With over 40 years of experience, UEI College offers programs designed to get you job-ready quickly so that you can start building your career sooner.
UEI's focused and hands-on training is constructed with current industry standards in mind, ensuring you'll have the skills employers are looking for.
Ready to start? Find a UEI school near you.
