EAST GREENWICH – The New England Institute of Technology is now offering individuals seeking training to enter the trades workforce close to half off on their tuition bills.
The technical college announced Tuesday that it will reduce its tuition across multiple skilled trades programs by 47% starting this spring. New England Tech says it’s reducing tuition in this matter as a means to address urgent demands for skilled workers across the region.
Full-price tuition at New England Tech costs $35,925. With the reduction for various associate degree trade programs, those students will only pay $18,540. The reduced tuition would apply to New England Tech’s multiple trade degree programs. Among them are welding engineering, building construction, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and heating, automotive and marine technology.
New England Tech Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Relations Amy Grzybowski told Providence Business News there is still a “critical labor shortage” both in Rhode Island and across the U.S. According to R.I. Department of Labor and Training data, skilled trades are classified as “high demand.” More than 15,000 specialty trade contractors will be needed in Rhode Island by 2032, DLT data shows.
Additionally, 169 million more job opportunities within trades and manufacturing will open by 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New England Tech, Grzybowski said, wants to continue to bridge that workforce gap and also leverage the career and technology opportunities existing within local high schools.
“We articulate credit for students that might have gone through those CTE programs and then continue their path in any of these trade programs,” Grzybowski said, “so [students getting into the workforce] could be done even faster depending on what they had done in high school.”
Grzybowski said there were some reduced-tuition trades programs already active at New England Tech, but wanted to lower tuition “across the board” in all such curricula. Grzybowski said it’s unclear how the technical college’s enrollment will increase come the spring when the reduced tuition initiative takes effect. She did say New England Tech does have the capacity to welcome more students on campus.
New England Tech is also the latest local college to offer a reduced tuition initiative to students, joining the Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and Johnson & Wales University. Grzybowski, though, said New England Tech still stands out as being the only local school offering degrees in specific skill trades, reduced tuition notwithstanding.
“We’re trying to make sure not only meeting [workforce] demand, but also remaining accessible and affordable to Rhode Islanders,” Grzybowski said.
Applications for the reduced tuition initiative are currently being accepted by New England Tech via
its website.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
