The Center for Technology, Essex (CTE) is a high-school technical center that also takes adults, both in its day programs and through its own evening and weekend division, SkillTech. This page covers what adults can take.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public regional career and technical center; in person only, day programs plus adult evening and weekend classes |
| Location | 2 Educational Drive, Suite 200, Essex Junction, VT 05452 (Burlington area) |
| Who can attend | Day programs: high-school students and adults. SkillTech: adults |
| Credentials | Industry and state credentials (for example a Vermont cosmetology licence); no degrees |
| Typical length | Day programs: mostly two school years; SkillTech: short classes |
| Adult cost | Day programs free without a high-school diploma; $4,800 a school year with one, if space allows (undated rate) |
| Accreditation | Listed as accredited by the NEASC Commission on Public Schools, grades 9 to postgraduate (first accredited 2000; last visit listed 2010) |
| Federal aid | We found no federal student aid |
| Operator | Essex Westford School District |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
An Essex Westford career center that also takes adults
CTE is a public regional career and technical education center run by the Essex Westford School District, in a building beside Essex High School. Its day programs mainly serve students in grades 10 to 12 from about 20 Chittenden and Franklin County towns, who stay enrolled at their home high schools; it has about 380 students a year and works with more than 450 employers, per the Essex Reporter in October 2024. Adults can join the same day programs: free if they have no high-school diploma, and for $4,800 a school year (undated rate), space permitting, if they do. SkillTech, CTE’s own adult division in the same suite, adds evening, weekend and summer classes. A new Emergency Medical Services program started in 2025-26.
Day programs open to adults
Most day programs last two school years, with paid co-op placements in the second year. Vermont’s 2022 list of approved training providers gave each program it listed as 752.25 hours a year and named the credentials below; the center’s current program pages did not load when we checked, so confirm each credential for 2026-27.
| Day program | Length | Credentials named (Vermont’s 2022 list unless noted) |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive Technology | 2 years; year 2 co-op based | ASE Student Certification, AYES apprenticeship completion, OSHA 10 and 30, First Aid/CPR |
| Building Technology Residential | 2 years | OSHA 10, First Aid/CPR; NCCER certification (Essex Reporter) |
| Building Systems: HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical | 2 years | Not on the 2022 list; ask the center |
| Childhood Education and Human Services | 2 years | Early Childhood Teaching Assistant, Vermont Child Care Apprentice Program completion, CPR |
| Computer Animation and Web Design (being renamed Gaming Animation and Web Design) | 2 years | Web Designer Certification; up to 6 CCV credits (Essex Reporter) |
| Computer Systems Technology | 2 years | None named |
| Cosmetology | 2 years (1,000 hours for licensure) | Vermont cosmetology licence |
| Dental Assisting | 2 years | Certified Dental Assistant, Vermont Dental Radiographic Endorsement, CPR/AED |
| Design and Creative Media | 2 years | Certification in Graphic Design/Creative Media 1 and 2 |
| Engineering and Architectural Design | 2 years | Certified SolidWorks Associate; up to 6 Vermont State University credits (Essex Reporter) |
| Emergency Medical Services | New in 2025-26 | Ask the center |
| Health Professions | 1 year or more | Ask the center |
| Professional Foods | 2 years | Ask the center; students run the Bakery-Cafe |
| Natural Resources: Forestry and Horticulture; Mechanical | 1 year each | Ask the center |
Computer Animation and Web Design is being renamed Gaming Animation and Web Design, according to a note in Vermont’s 2025-26 program capacity table. The Pre-Tech exploratory courses are for younger high-school students.
SkillTech evening and weekend classes
SkillTech’s page gives a typical pattern for its classes rather than a fixed calendar, so check dates with its office (802-857-7251). It also runs custom training for employers.
| SkillTech class | Typical start months | What it leads to |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA), evenings | September, January, April | Vermont LNA licence after the state exam |
| Radiology for Dental Assistants | October, March | Dental radiography training for dental assistants |
| Expanded Functions Dental Assisting | Not stated | Ask SkillTech |
| HVACR Technical Training | September | EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification (2022 list) |
| Basic and Intermediate Welding | Four or five times a year | Short courses; no credential listed |
| Fundamentals of Natural Gas; Natural Gas/Propane Recertification | Four or five times a year; October and May | Training and recertification |
| Vermont Type S Electrical Prep | January | Preparation for the Vermont Type S licence exam; does not replace initial licensure requirements |
What the main programs cover
Cosmetology
Cosmetology runs over two years of day classes and is built around the 1,000 training hours Vermont requires before a cosmetology licence. Students work on paying customers in the student salon, which is open to the public from Wednesday to Friday. CTE gives the state licensing exam in its own building and pays for each student’s first attempt, the Essex Reporter reported in December 2024, describing a very high success rate without giving a figure. Adults may apply alongside high-school students, and financial aid counsellors help adults with a diploma look for grants and loans.
Dental Assisting
Dental Assisting is a two-year day program with paid co-op placements in the second year. Vermont’s 2022 training-provider list named the Certified Dental Assistant credential and the Vermont Dental Radiographic Endorsement, plus CPR/AED Professional Rescuer and bloodborne pathogens training. Adults can also take dental classes through SkillTech: Radiology for Dental Assistants, usually offered in October and March, and Expanded Functions Dental Assisting.
Automotive Technology
Automotive Technology is a two-year day program in which the second year is based on a paid co-op placement with a local employer. The 2022 state list gave its credentials as ASE Student Certification, completion of the Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) apprenticeship, OSHA 10 and OSHA 30, the S/P2 safety course and First Aid/CPR. Adults attend the same weekday sessions as high-school students, from 9:40 am to 2:15 pm; confirm the current credential list with the center, since its program page did not load when we checked.
Childhood Education and Human Services
Childhood Education and Human Services is a two-year day program for people aiming to work with young children. The 2022 state list named the Early Childhood Teaching Assistant credential and completion of the Vermont Child Care Apprentice Program, along with CPR, and second-year students can take paid co-op placements. The state’s 2025-26 capacity table gave it 18 first-year and 6 second-year seats. Adults without a high-school diploma can take it free.
Computer Animation and Web Design
Computer Animation and Web Design is a two-year day program, now being renamed Gaming Animation and Web Design. Students can earn up to six Community College of Vermont credits through dual enrolment, the Essex Reporter reported. The only credential on the 2022 state list was a Web Designer Certification, a general credential rather than a named industry exam. It had 24 first-year and 16 second-year seats in 2025-26.
Licensed Nursing Assistant (SkillTech)
LNA training is a SkillTech evening class for adults; we could not confirm whether the day Health Professions program also covers it. Classes typically start in September, January and April. Graduates sit the state exam to become Vermont Licensed Nursing Assistants. SkillTech’s own LNA page did not load when we checked, so ask its office about the current schedule, clinical hours, background checks and entry requirements before registering.
Costs and how adults pay
High-school students pay nothing: their sending district pays the center the state “tech allowable tuition”, which was $19,982 for CTE in FY25 (the source does not say per what), according to figures given to the Vermont Senate Finance Committee in February 2026. Adults without a high-school diploma, including adults who hold a GED, attend the day programs free. Adults with a diploma may attend if space allows and pay $4,800 for the school year, per CTE’s adult enrollment page, which carries no date, so confirm the current rate before you apply.
SkillTech classes are priced one by one. The only dated price we found is the 30-hour Type S Electrical Prep class, $650 for the session starting 13 January 2025, per the Type S class page; ask SkillTech for current prices. We found no federal student aid (Pell grants or federal loans) at CTE. Financial aid counsellors help adults with a diploma seek grants and loans, including through the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC).
Applying and class times
Adults start by calling the center’s main office (802-879-5558) for an initial visit and an application. Program visits are held in April, in June and in August on the day before school starts, and the best time to apply is January to March. Decisions are mailed by 20 May for adults without a diploma or with a GED, and by 1 July for diploma holders, who are admitted only if seats remain. Day classes run Monday to Friday from 9:40 am to 2:15 pm, from late August or early September to early June. High-school students apply from 1 January, with a priority deadline on the first Friday in March and decisions in April. SkillTech classes run on evenings and weekends; adults register for each class separately.
Accreditation and results
The NEASC listing shows CTE as accredited by the Commission on Public Schools of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, for grades 9 to postgraduate, since 2000. The last visit it lists was in 2010, and it shows no next visit. This is school accreditation, not the kind that opens federal student aid. We found no programmatic accreditation for individual programs. We found no current published completion or job-placement rates for CTE. The latest figure we found is from 2017-18, when 81.5% of eligible students earned at least one industry-recognised credential, according to the center’s February 2019 presentation to the Vermont House Commerce Committee.
Before you enroll
- Adults in the day programs share classrooms and the school calendar with high-school students, on a fixed 9:40 am to 2:15 pm weekday schedule.
- Adults with a diploma get a seat only if one is left. For 2025-26 the state’s program capacity table showed 18 students waitlisted for Building Systems and 10 for Health Professions.
- We found no named credential for several programs: Building Systems, Computer Systems Technology, Health Professions, the new Emergency Medical Services program, Professional Foods and Natural Resources. Ask which certification each prepares for; for EMS, ask whether it leads to a state EMT or emergency medical responder certification.
- The credential list for most programs comes from Vermont’s 2022 training-provider list; confirm the current credentials with the center.
- CTE has no practical nursing or RN program; adults can train as Licensed Nursing Assistants through SkillTech.
One building in Essex Junction
All day programs and SkillTech classes meet at 2 Educational Drive, Suite 200, Essex Junction, VT 05452, beside Essex High School and about 8 miles from Burlington. There is no student housing; students commute.
Co-ops, college credit and student-run services
Most programs place second-year students in paid co-ops with local employers. The sources we found name dual-enrolment college credit in two programs: up to six Community College of Vermont credits in Computer Animation and Web Design, and up to six Vermont State University credits in Engineering and Architectural Design. Cosmetology students run a salon open to the public, charging about $10 a cut, and Professional Foods students run the Bakery-Cafe.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Health (day)
- Dental Assisting
- Health Professions
- Emergency Medical Services (new 2025-26)
Trades (day)
- Automotive Technology
- Building Technology Residential
- Building Systems: HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical
- Natural Resources: Mechanical
Design, media and computing (day)
- Computer Animation and Web Design (being renamed Gaming Animation and Web Design)
- Design and Creative Media
- Engineering and Architectural Design
- Computer Systems Technology
Services and education (day)
- Cosmetology
- Professional Foods
- Childhood Education and Human Services
- Natural Resources: Forestry and Horticulture
SkillTech (adult evening and weekend)
- Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA)
- Radiology for Dental Assistants
- Expanded Functions Dental Assisting
- HVACR Technical Training
- Basic and Intermediate Welding
- Fundamentals of Natural Gas
- Natural Gas/Propane Recertification
- Vermont Type S Electrical Prep
Campus Locations
Burlington (Essex Junction), VT 2 Educational Drive, Suite 200, Essex Junction, VT 05452