Best Trade Schools in Watertown, New York

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


How to Get Started in Watertown

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

Compare Trade Schools Near Watertown, New York

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

State University of New York at Oswego

Oswego, NY 48.0 miles away BOC Score 64.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 60.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 15
  • Annual completions: 308
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,955 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

St Lawrence University

Canton, NY 56.7 miles away BOC Score 63.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1
  • Annual completions: 15
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $66,273 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES

Liverpool, NY 61.9 miles away BOC Score 60.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 76.5%
  • Programs offered: 17
  • Annual completions: 464
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $40,165 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Canton, NY 56.4 miles away BOC Score 47.1
Tuition $8,742 - $24,906
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 92.2%
  • Graduation rate: 41.2%
  • Programs offered: 41
  • Annual completions: 463
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,422 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Continental School of Beauty Culture-Mattydale

Mattydale, NY 61.0 miles away BOC Score 45.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 79.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 360
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $28,496 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Jefferson Community College

Watertown, NY 1.8 miles away BOC Score 44.8
Tuition $6,264 - $19,286
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 27.0%
  • Programs offered: 13
  • Annual completions: 57
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,990 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation

Mexico, NY 39.6 miles away BOC Score 40.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 67.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 26
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $40,840 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Bryant & Stratton College-Syracuse North

Liverpool, NY 59.2 miles away BOC Score 21.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 28.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 10
  • Annual completions: 61
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,374 (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 New York.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
160.6Contact school for pricing$40,16577%62 mi
245.9Contact school for pricing$28,49679%61 mi
344.8$6,264 - $19,286$41,99027%Yes*2 mi
440.1Contact school for pricing$40,84067%40 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in New York are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in New York 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 - Watertown-Fort Drum, NY's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, BLS OEWS May 2025HVAC technicians $62850; Culinary workers $62740; Plumbers $61490; Construction trades workers $48450; Dental assistants $43010.HVAC technicians$62,850Culinary workers$62,740Plumbers$61,490Construction trades workers$48,450Dental assistants$43,010
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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
TradeMedian annual wage
HVAC technicians$62,850
Culinary workers$62,740
Plumbers$61,490
Construction trades workers$48,450
Dental assistants$43,010
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Watertown, New York
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Watertown, New York (College Scorecard)Jefferson Community College $41990; Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation $40840; Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES $40165; Continental School of Beauty Culture-Mattydale $28496.Jefferson Community College$41,990Center for Instruction, Tech...$40,840Onondaga Cortland Madison BO...$40,165Continental School of Beauty...$28,496
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 Watertown, New York
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Jefferson Community College$41,990
Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation$40,840
Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES$40,165
Continental School of Beauty Culture-Mattydale$28,496

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Watertown

Among the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $43,010 to $62,850 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 Watertown ranges from $6,264 to $19,286 per year (IPEDS and College Scorecard); schools that do not publish a rate are marked “Contact school for pricing” in the table below. Typical recovery coache training runs 6-12 months (certificate + supervised hours) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

New York Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

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

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)