Here are the best schools in Florida City. This guide lists accredited programs near you, how licensing works in Florida, and which trades are hiring in the Miami metro. Use it to choose a school, start an apprenticeship, and move into a skilled career with strong job security and steady pay12.
Compare Trade Schools Near Florida City, Florida
These schools are within an easy commute from Florida City. All are institutionally accredited or state approved, and offer hands-on training aligned to Florida licensing and industry certifications2.
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.
LOCAL RANK
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.
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 Florida.
Schools closest to the main population center in Florida are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in Florida 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 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL's most-employed tradesTrades 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Trade
Median annual wage
Culinary workers
$57,940
Phlebotomy technicians
$45,210
Medical assistants
$44,930
Nursing assistants
$38,010
Patient care technicians
$38,010
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Florida City, Florida (2026 Guide)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 Florida City, Florida (2026 Guide)
School
Median graduate earnings
Fortis College-Cutler Bay
$51,591
CBT Technology Institute-Cutler Bay
$42,262
CBT Technology Institute-Main Campus
$42,262
Robert Morgan Educational Center and Technical College
$37,299
South Dade Technical College-South Dade Skills Center Campus
$35,454
InterAmerican Technical Institute
$25,621
Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Florida City
Among the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $38,010 to $57,940 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Published tuition across the trade-relevant schools serving Florida City ranges from $13,806 to $30,421 per year (IPEDS and College Scorecard); schools that do not publish a rate are marked “Contact school for pricing” in the table below. Typical medical assistant training runs 9-12 months (certificate or diploma) (TradeCareerPath program data).
Electricians install, maintain, and troubleshoot power, lighting, and controls. Work spans residential, commercial, industrial, and solar. Demand remains steady due to construction growth, system upgrades, and the need for maintenance1. Training paths include a 1-year electricity program plus apprenticeship, or direct entry into a registered apprenticeship. See career details: Electrician.
HVAC Technician
HVAC techs service heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration in homes and commercial buildings. Growth remains solid in Florida due to hot weather, energy efficiency upgrades, and strict building codes1. EPA 608 certification is required for refrigerants. Learn more: HVAC.
Welder
Welders join and repair metal in construction, fabrication, shipyards, and manufacturing. Miami-Dade has steady demand tied to infrastructure and marine work. Employers value process proficiency and current procedure qualifications. Explore the field: Welding.
Plumber
Plumbers install and repair piping systems and fixtures. Florida’s population growth and hurricane resiliency projects drive continuous work. Licensure at the contractor level is statewide with additional local journeyman tiers13. Path overview: Plumbing.
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.
Florida licenses contractors at the state level through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Journeyman-level licensing is handled locally by many counties and cities, including Miami-Dade3.
Electrician
State board: Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board at DBPR3.
Contractor licenses: Certified Electrical Contractor or Registered Electrical Contractor.
Typical steps:
4 years of trade experience or a mix of education and experience.
Pass the state trade and business exams.
Financial responsibility, background check, and insurance.
For journeyman: apply through local authority such as Miami-Dade County Construction Trades Qualifying Board.
HVAC - Air Conditioning Contractor
State board: Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) at DBPR3.
License classes: Class A - unlimited; Class B - limited to 25 tons cooling and 500,000 BTU heating.
Typical steps:
4 years of experience or an education-experience combination.
Pass trade and business exams.
Financials and insurance.
EPA 608 certification required for refrigerant handling4.
Contractor types: Certified Plumbing Contractor or Registered Plumbing Contractor.
Typical steps:
Verified experience or apprenticeship completion.
State exam and business exam.
Financials, background check, and insurance.
Journeyman and master levels may be issued locally.
Welder
No Florida state license for general welding.
Employers require performance qualifications and procedure tests. Common credentials include AWS structural codes and NCCER module-based certifications5.
OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 training is recommended for construction sites.
Tip: Many students complete a 10 to 18 month technical college program, then enter a registered apprenticeship or entry-level employment while they build hours toward contractor eligibility.
Online & Flexible Options
Hybrid training
Core safety, codes, math, and blueprint reading often run online. Hands-on labs, shop practice, and clinicals are in person. Most schools listed above offer evening or hybrid schedules for working adults.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships pair paid on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. In Miami-Dade, classroom instruction is commonly delivered through Miami Dade College or local technical colleges in partnership with approved sponsors2. You earn while you learn and graduate with industry credentials.
Short certifications
Add-on credentials like OSHA 10, EPA 608, CPR/First Aid, and NCCER modules can be stacked to improve employability and meet contractor requirements45.
Next Steps
Compare programs and intakes at the Florida state hub: /trade-school/florida/
Explore all skilled careers: /trades/
Start at the main trade school hub to see other cities: /trade-school/
If you know your trade, go straight to career pages:
Electrician: /trades/electrician
HVAC: /trades/hvac
Welding: /trades/welding
Plumbing: /trades/plumbing
Have a plan: visit campuses, ask about accreditation, program hours, exam prep, placement, and schedules. Confirm your licensing path with DBPR or your local licensing office before you enroll3.
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/.
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electricians, HVACR Technicians, Plumbers, and Welders, 2024-2025. ↩︎↩︎↩︎↩︎
U.S. Department of Education, College Navigator profiles for Miami Dade College, Robert Morgan Educational Center & Technical College, Lindsey Hopkins Technical College, Miami Lakes Educational Center & Technical College, George T. Baker Aviation Technical College, Sheridan Technical College, and Atlantic Technical College. ↩︎↩︎↩︎
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board and Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board, Candidate Information and Licensing Requirements. ↩︎↩︎↩︎↩︎↩︎↩︎
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Section 608 Technician Certification for handling refrigerants. ↩︎↩︎
NCCER, Industry-recognized construction credentials and curriculum frameworks. ↩︎↩︎
Data sources
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
Data
Provider
Vintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
