It\u2019s\u00a0become more popular to talk about\u00a0the trades\u00a0over the past few years. This has partly been driven by discussions over the value of a college\u00a0degree\u00a0and which programs of study offer a strong return on investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s also due to increased awareness of how important skilled workers in the trades are to maintaining a strong local and national economy, infrastructure, and manufacturing and building capability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are the trades exactly? What is a trade school? And what do those terms mean in relation to Dunwoody College of Technology? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0skilled\u00a0trades typically refer to careers that historically required membership in a trade union: electricians, carpenters, plumbers, etc.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s not a strict definition, though, and it has come to have a broader meaning to any career that focuses on high-skilled, hands-on, craft-focused work, especially in construction or manufacturing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A trade school is an institution that prepares its graduates for work in the occupations that are considered to be trades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many trade schools are post-secondary institutions, that is they offer an education for high school graduates. Others exist at the high school level. Trade schools came in many forms, but in pervious decades, they often were small, privately-owned efforts with a focus on just a few areas for training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, standalone trade schools are rare these days. Most current training in the trades happens in schools and colleges with a broader range of educational offerings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dunwoody College of Technology is an accredited, private, non-profit technical college that offers certificate, associates, and bachelor\u2019s degrees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So given the breadth and depth of our program offerings and the fact that we award bachelor\u2019s degrees, Dunwoody College would be considered a technical college and not a traditional trade school <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, Dunwoody does offer majors that provide an education for careers that are traditionally considered part of the trades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another way to think of it is: there is a trade school inside of Dunwoody College even if it\u2019s not formally designated as such. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Dunwoody College majors most obviously aligned with the trades are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as noted, which careers are specifically identified as \u201ctrades\u201d varies, and many other Dunwoody degree programs could be considered as part of the skilled trades or have elements to the training you received that intersect with the idea of the trades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, although\u00a0all of\u00a0the programs listed above are certificate or associates degree programs that lead to\u00a0high-demand\u00a0jobs\u00a0and a career path,\u00a0they\u00a0also all\u00a0transfer\u00a0into\u00a0various\u00a0Dunwoody\u00a0bachelor\u2019s degree programs. This is because career paths are both more flexible and demanding these days due to the high rate of technological change, and getting more education helps with keeping\u00a0up\u00a0with those changes and advancing your career.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which isn\u2019t to say that traditional paths are gone: many of the electricians that Dunwoody graduates still choose to join a local union and take the traditional path to licensure and a career moving through the ranks at a union. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best thing\u00a0to do is\u00a0to\u00a0RSVP for\u00a0a Dunwoody Open House<\/a>\u00a0and explore your options in person. That way you can talk to faculty about\u00a0the career\u00a0opportunities and view the actual spaces and equipment where you’ll be learning a trade and figure out which program makes the most sense of you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can\u2019t make it to an Open House? <\/p>\n\n\n\n View our full list of academic offerings<\/a> to explore options on your own or fill out a Request More Information form<\/a> to be connected with Admissions. Our Admissions Counselors can set up a one-on-one on campus or virtual tour and have a lot of experience talking with prospective students about what program could be the best fit for their individual career goals, personal interests, and current life situation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A quick overview of the trades and\u00a0trade schools and what those terms mean in relation to Dunwoody College of Technology\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s\u00a0become more popular to talk about\u00a0the trades\u00a0over the past few years. This has partly been driven by discussions over the value of a college\u00a0degree\u00a0and which programs of study offer a strong return on investment.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also due […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7605,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[405],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technical-education"],"yoast_head":"\n