Trade schools in Colorado are seeing increased enrollment as students choose cheaper pathways to career fields.
The state saw a 104.7% increase in the total number of people enrolled in trade schools from 2019 to 2023, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Emily Griffith Technical College, a trade school in the heart of Denver, is seeing more students enroll. The college saw a 14.6% increase in students from the 2018-2019 to 2024-2025 school years and has surpassed pre-pandemic enrollment numbers.
Trade schools see higher enrollment as more students prioritize cost
The school offers more than 35 programs including accounting, nursing, cosmetology, HVAC, computer networking, woodworking and more. Jordan Gantzler is a certified welder after graduating from the college’s nine-month welding program.
“It’s definitely cheaper than, like, your normal four year plan, and it’s a lot shorter too. I was working full time or at school for only, like, nine months. So I got all that experience and everything, and I’m ready to go into the field now after just nine months,” Gantzler said.
Divine Martinez will begin the practical nursing program at Emily Griffith in January. She said she will take classes two nights a week and become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) after 18 months. Since she’s a part time student, Martinez is also able to work an apprenticeship learning basic Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) skills at Denver Health…