Collin College’s Technical Campus opened this fall with a full slate of programs dedicated to in-demand, high-wage trade careers. Designed for students who love to use their hands as well as their heads, the programs will help fill growing employment needs for North Texas and beyond.
Here are five things you may not have known about the skilled trades.
- Many skilled trades are considered essential
The response to COVID-19 orders made it clear that trade careers help keep society moving. Most trade careers – construction, automotive repair, HVAC, and others – were considered essential by the state government, making those industries more resistant to layoffs. - Trade skills can pay as much as a four-year degree
The average salary for someone who holds a bachelor’s degree in Texas is $52,381 according to a ZipRecruiter.com survey. Collision repair technicians, like those taught at Collin College, average $54,500 a year in Collin County. Electronics Engineering Technicians earn an average salary of $72,200. - Baby boomer retirements mean more job opportunities
More than two million skilled workers nationwide are 55 or older* in trades being taught by Collin College. As those workers near retirement, there will be significant room for upward mobility in multiple industries. - Trade skills are versatile
The trade skills learned at Collin College are in demand across the country and can also further your education. Welders, for example, are needed in aerospace, manufacturing, and oil and gas exploration/refinement, just to name a few industries. What’s more, Prior Learning Assessment programs like the one sponsored by Capital One at Collin College may count industry certifications and achievements as credit toward a degree. - Collin College’s programs work with local industries
Before building the Technical Campus, Collin College used labor market analysis and worked with local industry to determine which programs best fit labor market needs. That partnership continues with advisory groups for each program, where industry has input on the curriculum, equipment, and skills needed, and creates a pipeline to employment.
For more information about programs offered at the Collin College Technical Campus, visit
www.collin.edu/campuses/technical/.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics household data averages for employed persons by detailed occupation and age, based on programs taught at the Technical Campus.