| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public career and technical center run by Kanawha County Schools; campus-based (Massage Therapy is hybrid) |
| Campus | 1: 4799 Midland Drive, Charleston (Malden area), West Virginia |
| Who can enroll | Kanawha County high-school students in about 20 programs; adults in 10 programs |
| Credentials for adults | Certificates; two associate degrees awarded by BridgeValley Community and Technical College |
| Typical adult program length | 625 to 1,800 clock hours (about 11 to 18 months); the BridgeValley degrees take 2 years |
| Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education; reaffirmation application in progress (2026) |
| Federal aid | Yes, Pell grants (federal school code 014060); no federal student loans |
| Adult students | 169 in fall 2024 (IPEDS), all full-time |
| Founded | 1970, according to the school |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Carver: a county career center with ten programs open to adults
Carver Career and Technical Education Center, listed by the U.S. Department of Education as Carver Career Center, is a public career center run by Kanawha County Schools under the West Virginia Department of Education. It opened in 1970, and its 2024 handbook calls it the first vocational school in West Virginia.
Most of Carver’s programs are for Kanawha County high-school students. According to that 2024 handbook, adults can enroll in ten: Aesthetics, Barbering (1,200 hours), Cosmetology (1,800 hours), Culinary Arts, the ECCAT early-childhood certificate, Electrical Technician (1,080 hours), Massage Therapy (625 hours, hybrid), Respiratory Therapy, Surgical Technology (11 months) and Veterinary Technology. The two longest, Respiratory Therapy and Veterinary Technology, are degrees awarded by BridgeValley Community and Technical College and taught at Carver. IPEDS counted 169 adult students in fall 2024.
Adult programs at Carver
Carver calls its adult programs ACE (Advanced Career Education). Full-time adult programs run 30 to 35 hours a week. The table gives the latest whole-program tuition and fees that Carver reported to IPEDS, for 2024-25; no 2026-27 prices have been published.
| Program (adults) | Credential | Length | Delivery | Prepares for | 2024-25 tuition and fees, whole program (IPEDS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology | Certificate | 1,800 clock hours, about 18 months | Day, on campus; public salon | NIC exam; West Virginia licence | $7,950 |
| Barbering | Certificate | 1,200 clock hours, 12 months | Day, on campus; public barber shop | West Virginia barber licence | $7,352 |
| Aesthetics | Certificate | Ask the school | On campus | West Virginia board-approved | Ask the school |
| Culinary Arts | Certificate | One year | On campus | ACF Certified Culinarian or Certified Fundamentals Cook; ServSafe | Ask the school |
| Electrical Technician | Certificate | 1,080 clock hours, 12 months | On campus, full-time | Not stated by the school | $3,912 |
| Massage Therapy | Certificate | 625 hours | Hybrid, four days a week | West Virginia massage licensure | Ask the school |
| Surgical Technology | Certificate | 11 months, 1,200 clock hours | On campus, with clinical experience | A national certification test before graduation | $5,435 |
| Veterinary Technology | AAS from BridgeValley | 2 years, 1,898 clock hours | On campus; clinicals at local veterinary hospitals | VTNE and West Virginia exam (RVT) | $10,080 |
| Respiratory Therapy | AS from BridgeValley | 24 months, 2,081 clock hours | On campus; clinicals at area health-care facilities | NBRC exams (RRT) | $8,695 (no Fall 2026 class) |
| Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teacher (ECCAT) | Certificate | Ask the school | On campus | – | Ask the school |
Respiratory Therapy, a CoARC-accredited associate degree (program 200430) awarded by BridgeValley, is not accepting applications for Fall 2026, and we could not confirm whether the program will continue; ask about the next start before planning on it. BridgeValley runs its own Respiratory Therapy AAS on its South Charleston campus. Carver has no nursing program: Kanawha County’s practical nursing program is at Ben Franklin Career Center in Dunbar.
High-school students can choose from about 20 programs, among them automotive technology, carpentry, welding, plumbing, dental assisting and graphic design. These run in morning and afternoon sessions under the Simulated Workplace model and are not open to adults.
What the main adult programs cover
Cosmetology and Barbering
Both are daytime certificates approved by the West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists. Cosmetology takes 1,800 clock hours, about 18 months, and Barbering 1,200 hours over 12 months. Students build their hours partly on real customers: the center runs a beauty salon and a barber shop that are open to the public. Cosmetology students are prepared for the NIC (National Interstate Council) licensing exam. The same state board licenses graduates of both programs. An Aesthetics certificate is also offered to adults; we could not confirm its hours.
Culinary Arts
The school describes Culinary Arts as a one-year commitment. Besides kitchen work, students take two National Restaurant Association course series: ServSafe food-safety training and ManageFirst, with courses in supervision management and purchasing. Depending on how much kitchen work experience they have, graduates can earn the American Culinary Federation’s Certified Culinarian or Certified Fundamentals Cook credential. The adult program is separate from the high-school Baking and Pastry and ProStart Restaurant Management programs.
Massage Therapy
At 625 hours, Massage Therapy is the shortest adult program with published hours and the only one the school describes as hybrid: students attend four days a week, and part of the curriculum is online. The training covers Swedish, deep-tissue and therapeutic massage, and students treat outside clients in a student clinic. The school says the program is designed to meet the qualifications for a West Virginia massage therapy licence. IPEDS shows no completers for 2023-24; a 2025 IPEDS-derived table lists seven.
Surgical Technology
The program takes eleven months and 1,200 clock hours. It includes clinical experience, and students sit a national certification test as pre-graduates, the school says. Carver’s accreditation page does not list CAAHEP or ABHES accreditation for the program, and the school does not name the certifying exam, so ask which credential graduates can earn and whether local hospitals require it. Thirteen students completed the program in 2023-24, according to IPEDS.
Veterinary Technology
This two-year, 1,898-clock-hour AAS is awarded by BridgeValley and taught at Carver, with clinical experience at local veterinary hospitals; students have also done spay and neuter work with the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association. Applicants must be admitted to BridgeValley and need an ACT score of 20 or more (or 12 college credits), a C or better in chemistry and 20 hours of veterinary experience. Graduates who pass the national VTNE and the West Virginia exam become Registered Veterinary Technicians.
What adult programs cost, and how students pay
Carver charges one flat price for each program, not a price per credit, and publishes no separate in-county, in-state or out-of-state rates. The newest figures are the 2024-25 whole-program prices Carver reported to IPEDS; confirm current prices with the school before you enroll.
| Program | Tuition and fees | Books and supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology | $7,950 | $3,252 |
| Veterinary Technology | $10,080 | $4,311 |
| Barbering | $7,352 | $262 |
| Surgical Technology | $5,435 | $1,246 |
| Electrical Technician | $3,912 | $2,430 |
| Respiratory Therapy (not admitting Fall 2026) | $8,695 | $5,124 |
Adult applicants pay a $40 application fee and a $100 registration fee. Self-paying full-time students can use a payment plan, while part-time programs must be paid in full at registration, by cash, check or money order. IPEDS put the average net price for the largest program at $5,646 in 2023-24.
Carver takes federal Pell grants (federal school code 014060 on the FAFSA) but offers no federal student loans; any loan would have to be private. In 2023-24, 74% of certificate students received grant aid. West Virginia’s HEAPS grant and the ACE Advantage Fund scholarship can be used here, but the Promise Scholarship and WV Invests cannot. IPEDS lists Carver as a Yellow Ribbon school for veterans. Carver also has an online net price calculator.
Applying as an adult: entrance exam and July starts
Adults need a high-school diploma or GED, a completed FAFSA and a passing score on the program’s entrance exam. Applying does not guarantee a place. After acceptance, students attend orientation and register for financial aid with photo ID (and, for men aged 18 to 25, proof of Selective Service registration). Health programs require a drug screen, according to a 2019 Charleston Gazette-Mail report, and Respiratory Therapy and Veterinary Technology also require admission to BridgeValley. Most adult classes start in mid-July, according to a December 2025 school post.
Accreditation and results
Carver is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education (COE); the school and the CHEA database both confirm this. The school says it is applying to the COE for reaffirmation of its accreditation, a routine renewal, and has invited public comment. Programs carry their own approvals: CoARC accredits Respiratory Therapy, the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) accredits Veterinary Technology, and the West Virginia Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists approves the beauty and barbering programs.
BridgeValley reports that the CVTEA placed Veterinary Technology on probationary accreditation because its three-year first-time VTNE pass rate fell below the required benchmark. BridgeValley’s own pages give conflicting statuses, listing the program as both fully and probationally accredited, so check the current status with BridgeValley or the AVMA before you apply.
| Measure | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 92% finished within 150% of normal time | Full-time, first-time students who started in 2021-22; IPEDS |
| Retention | 91% of full-time students returned | Fall 2023 to fall 2024; IPEDS |
Carver’s 2024 handbook refers to a 2022-23 completer, placement and licensure report, but we could not find a copy with its figures, so no program completion, job placement or licence pass rates are given here.
Before you enroll
- Only ten programs take adults. Automotive, welding, carpentry, plumbing and Carver’s other trade programs except Electrical Technician are for high-school students only.
- Respiratory Therapy is not admitting a Fall 2026 class. Ask whether and when it will start again.
- Veterinary Technology has been reported on AVMA probation over its VTNE pass rate. Confirm the current status with BridgeValley before you apply.
- Carver offers no federal student loans, and prices for 2026-27 have not been published. Plan for the full program price, books and the $140 in application and registration fees.
- The Promise Scholarship and WV Invests grants cannot be used at Carver.
Career help
IPEDS lists placement services for completers, and the 2024 handbook describes employability training on interviews and a portfolio with a résumé and certifications. There is no campus housing.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Carver Career and Technical Education Center · CCTEC Advisory Handbook 2024 · Adult application process · Accreditation · College Navigator (IPEDS) · BridgeValley accreditation · CHEA
Programs & Courses
Adult programs: beauty and barbering
- Cosmetology
- Barbering
- Aesthetics
Adult programs: health and animal care
- Surgical Technology
- Massage Therapy
- Veterinary Technology (AAS, awarded by BridgeValley)
- Respiratory Therapy (AS, awarded by BridgeValley; not admitting Fall 2026)
Adult programs: trades, culinary and education
- Electrical Technician
- Culinary Arts
- Early Childhood Classroom Assistant Teacher (ECCAT)
High school only (Kanawha County students)
- Advanced Medical Preparedness
- Agricultural Science
- Automotive Technology
- Baking and Pastry
- Carpentry
- Collision Repair Technology
- Dental Assisting
- Electrical Technician
- Entrepreneurship
- Firefighting & Emergency Services Management
- Graphic Design
- Marketing Management
- Multimedia Publishing
- Natural Resources
- Plumbing
- ProStart Restaurant Management
- Robotics & Industrial Robotics
- Sports Medicine
- Therapeutic Services
- Welding
Campus Locations
Charleston (Malden), WV 4799 Midland Drive, Charleston, WV 25306