Top 5 Reasons to Enroll in Career & Technical Education (CTE)
Orleans Technical College is focused on teaching real-world, technical skills that prepare adults for employment opportunities in growing careers. This is why we are considered a career & technical school.
People come to Orleans Tech for a number of reasons. For one, Orleans delivers results. Another is that our school has been in business, serving the Philadelphia region, for nearly 45 years. Hundreds of students will walk through our doors this year pursuing a career and technical education so that they can get ahead, support their families, and earn a credential that will make them very marketable in the trades workforce.
Here are our top 5 reasons to consider career and technical education at Orleans Tech:
1. Job placement
Orleans Tech has a great track record of assisting students to begin their careers. In fact, this is a main component of each training program. For example, the residential and commercial electricity daytime training program has a job placement rate of 83%*. Employment specialists work one-on-one with each student to ascertain his/her strengths, put together a résumé that highlights training and skills, then match the student with a local employer offering job openings. Each month, company presidents and HR managers contact Orleans looking for qualified students to come join their teams. This provides an excellent advantage to our students. (*Based on 47 graduates that completed their program between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 and obtained training related placements.)
2. Learn by doing
Aristotle said, “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” Students are taught practical, hands-on skills that are essential for the jobs they want. They get right in there–and get dirty!–experiencing first-hand how to accomplish a task or technique. Instructors teach students the tricks of the trade and how to use their tools and equipment properly. This gives Orleans students a head start in the workforce because they’ll know why and HOW to get a job done. They leave the classroom with the confidence and readiness to jump straight into the workforce.
3. Industry-experienced instructors
Trade school teachers are teaching theory and going through content in the textbook. True. But, their experiences working in the field become invaluable to students’ classroom lessons. Orleans Tech’s instructors bring knowledge and skills from learning on the job. They share their successes and talk to students about how things get done in the real world. Nothing beats an instructor who is passionate about their craft (and enjoys sharing it with others).
4. Job demand
Orleans Tech is a vocational school that provides training in areas that are in high demand in the regional workforce. Orleans currently teaches five different courses in the building trades industry where job openings are due to increase by 10% or more over the next decade. Wondering which of these trades might be best for you? Take our quick, fun quiz to see. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” 2019–17 Edition)
5. Cost
For the 2014-15 academic year, the average cost for one year of a bachelor’s degree education (including tuition, fees, room, and board) was estimated to be $16,188 at public institutions. This is comparable to the cost to complete the entire building trades training program at Orleans. What a return on investment! With the concerns these days of keeping student loan debt low, a trades education may be a wise, and more affordable, choice for many. (Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2016)
You can train to begin a new career in the trades in just 6 months at Orleans Tech! For more information about our upcoming courses and how to get started, please complete the request form on this page.