Best Trade Schools in Alameda, California

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Alameda. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in California.


How to Get Started in Alameda

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: California
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Alameda, California

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, CA 3.7 miles away BOC Score 99.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3
  • Annual completions: 90
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $148,182 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Lincoln University

Oakland, CA 2.6 miles away BOC Score 78.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 76.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 2
  • Annual completions: 14
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

National Holistic Institute

Emeryville, CA 5.3 miles away BOC Score 48.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 74.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 2
  • Annual completions: 795
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $31,763 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

College of Alameda

Alameda, CA 1.3 miles away BOC Score 35.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 18
  • Annual completions: 217
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,771 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Laney College

Oakland, CA 1.9 miles away BOC Score 17.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 38
  • Annual completions: 415
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,151 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Moler Barber College

Oakland, CA 4.2 miles away BOC Score 15.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 31.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 265
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $24,442 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

International College of Cosmetology

Oakland, CA 2.6 miles away
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 55.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 136
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $28,362 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in California.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
148.2Contact school for pricing$31,76375%Yes*5 mi
235.5Contact school for pricing$43,77134%1 mi
317.6Contact school for pricing$50,15134%2 mi
415.9Contact school for pricing$24,44231%4 mi
5Not ratedContact school for pricing$28,36256%3 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in California are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in California is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $68970; Medical assistants $59790; Phlebotomy technicians $58900; Nursing assistants $56080; Patient care technicians $56080.Culinary workers$68,970Medical assistants$59,790Phlebotomy technicians$58,900Nursing assistants$56,080Patient care technicians$56,080
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$68,970
Medical assistants$59,790
Phlebotomy technicians$58,900
Nursing assistants$56,080
Patient care technicians$56,080
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Alameda, California
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Alameda, California (College Scorecard)Laney College $50151; College of Alameda $43771; National Holistic Institute $31763; International College of Cosmetology $28362; Moler Barber College $24442.Laney College$50,151College of Alameda$43,771National Holistic Institute$31,763International College of Cos...$28,362Moler Barber College$24,442
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Alameda, California
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Laney College$50,151
College of Alameda$43,771
National Holistic Institute$31,763
International College of Cosmetology$28,362
Moler Barber College$24,442

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Alameda

Among the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $56,080 to $68,970 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

California Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Carpenter4.5%
Plumber4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Construction Worker7.3%
Welder2.2%

Construction Management & Inspection

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager8.7%
Home Inspector-0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Animal Care & Training

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Veterinary Technician9.1%
Dog Trainer5.1%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%

Beauty & Personal Care

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Esthetician6.7%
Beauty Professional5.6%
Cosmetologist5.6%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef7.1%
Pastry Chef7.1%

Business & Legal Support

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Digital Court Reporter-0.3%
Paralegal0.2%
Bookkeeper-5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)