In these blogs I’ve hammered home how expensive college is these days and cautioned about the burdens of student loan debt. Trade schools are much less expensive than college, but a good one may still set you back thousands of dollars a year. Even modest tuition payments may be a struggle for some of you.
The good news is that, just as for college, there are plentiful scholarships available for trade school students. More, in fact, than I had anticipated when I began to research this article. I think more and more individuals and organizations are getting the message that skilled trade workers are in short supply and that a college education in many cases is not worth the cost. So, philanthropists who in years past might have contributed money to fund college scholarships have begun to take some of their money and direct it toward the trades instead.
Here is a partial list of vocational scholarships available.
20 Scholarships for Trade School Students in 2024 (scholarshipinstitute.org)
These list awards ranging from $500 to $10,000. Some of the 20 are past the application date, but there’s still time to apply for the rest. Get on it quickly, though.
Here’s another website listing plentiful scholarships available for trade students.
Top 90 Trade School Scholarships to Apply for in January 2024 (bold.org)
This is just a small sample of the lists you can come up with if you do a web search on “trade school scholarships.” In addition, many local service organizations like Optimists, Rotary, Kiwanis, etc., offer scholarship money for both college and vocational students. Also, many trade employers will pay for all or part of a trade education while you work for them.
Do not let expense prevent you from pursuing a rewarding career in the trades. Even if you can’t afford to pay for a vocational education, there are plenty of resources available to help you out.