Free Vocational Training Programs in NYC (New York City) 2022

Vocational training and trade school are great options for many types of people.

Generally, vocational training offers a flexible schedule and is completed faster than a traditional college.

Additionally, vocational training is focused on the exact skills needed for the job you are training.

Hence, making it more cost-effective.

However, vocational training can still have a higher cost than some people are able to pay.

Luckily, New York City offers a range of free vocational training programs.

Below are a few free vocational training programs in NYC. In order to qualify for free tuition, you must be a resident of the city.

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Top 3 Free Vocational Training Programs in NYC

Here are a few of the best programs in NYC:

NYC Department of Education – Office of Adult and Continuing Education

OACE offers over 900 tuition-free educational courses for adults 21 and over. Adults who do not have a US high school diploma or equivalent are eligible.

Career and Technical Education

Technical, trade, construction, and entrepreneurial skills are offered through this program.

Some areas of study include the following:

• Carpentry
• Electrical Installation
• Solar Installation
• Plumbing
• Welding
• Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
• Boiler Maintenance/Air Pollution EPA
• Building Maintenance Program
• Culinary Arts/Food Preparation
• Medical Billing & Coding
• Nursing Assistant Program
• EKG

More information is available in their course catalog.

Information in the catalog includes areas of instruction/study, placement requirements, extra associated fees, training locations, course prerequisites, and certification information.

Health Careers

Health careers are in high demand. OACE is there to get you going in this prosperous and abundant career field.

Therefore, they offer a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) program. CNA is a part-time program designed to teach students about Nurse Aide Theory.

Furthermore, the program focuses on ample hands-on experience.

Participants engage in supervised long-term clinical experience in an actual facility.

This is where you will have the opportunity to put your knowledge from the program to work.

Once you complete this training program you are eligible to take the NY State Nurse Assistant exam. If you pass you become a certified NA.

Vocational Foundation Inc.

The Vocational Foundation program was started in 1936 in NYC and trains young adults for career preparation.

This program offers training for youths, aged 17-21, who have dropped out of school and don’t have a high school diploma.

They offer job training, career/job placement, and work retention services.

Career training options include:

• Bank Teller with Basic Accounting
• Security Guard/Public Safety
• Office Support Specialist
• Certified Customer Representative
• Medical Administrative Assistant
• Computer Technology

Training classes are tuition-free. Training programs, including the literacy program, run for five months. The training program is followed by their “Moving Up” program.

The Moving Up program focuses on keeping graduates in their job placement for at least two years.

Strive International

This is a vocational skills training program currently offered in NYC to residents.

For the first four weeks of the program, you must complete their Attitudinal and Job Readiness Training.

After this training is completed, you can then move on to your actual job training of choice.

The vocational training study area includes:

• Green Construction
• Light Maintenance
• Office Operations
• Medical Information Technology

Green Building Maintenance

In one of Strive’s free programs, participants must be physically fit and have an eighth-grade reading and math level.

Additionally, you must also be between the ages of 18 and 45 years old.

The training starts with Strive’s CORE classes/Attitudinal and Job Readiness training – “a workshop focused on soft skills, career development, job readiness, customer service, and civics.” (STRIVE)

This is a 10-week training program and focuses on the following:

1. Renovations
2. Painting & Repairs
3. Weatherization
4. Retrofitting and Energy Auditing.

According to their job and training description, “participants will earn their OSHA 10 Health and Safety certification, as well have the opportunity to learn retrofitting, renovation, repair and painting, energy auditing, weatherization, and Green Building fundamentals.)