North Bennet Street School is one of Boston's most well-known trade schools, having been entrenched in the city's North End since 1885. The school's focus is teaching craftsmanship in areas such as carpentry, locksmithing, cabinet and furniture making, jewelry making and repair, piano technology and violin making and repair. North Bennet Street School attracts students to its short-term workshops and classes, but its focus is on full-time programs, which take from nine months to three years to complete. In addition to the main facility in the North End, which includes four buildings, the school has a second location in the suburb of Arlington.
The Madison Park Technical Vocational High School is a public trade school for high school students that also includes academic classes, providing students with a balanced education. The school emphasizes close faculty and student interaction, active learning and getting students to work sites. The school provides training in 20 vocational areas. Students are selected for the program through a lottery process, turning away some students in order to maintain safety in areas that might have some hazards and require close supervision.
The Everest Institute, a national online degree program focused on trades, offers degree programs based in Boston-area locations in Brighton and Chelsea. The Brighton location offers programs with training for prospective dental assistants, medical assistants and medical administrative assistants. The Chelsea location offers programs in the same areas, as well as massage therapy and medical insurance billing and coding. Each program is designed with the purpose of graduating students ready to enter their fields right away.
Youth Build Boston provides training for young people in the areas of construction and green industry. The construction program is for young people either seeking a high school diploma or a GED or having recently received a diploma or GED. There are separate program tracks for each category. For those already owning a diploma or GED, the program is designed to launch them into a career in the building trades. For those without a degree, the program includes academic training. Youth Build's Project Advantage program is limited to students aged 16 to 18 years old. Project Advantage mixes academic training with vocational training in areas such as carpentry, landscaping and entrepreneurship, while maintaining a focus on the green industry.