Utah Colleges and Trade Schools

Do you reside in the state of Utah? Are you interested in attending a college or university in this state and you are doing some research to determine your options? First things first you will need to have completed your high school diploma requirements and you will need to have a desired career path in mind. However, if you have at least narrowed down your choices then you are well on your way to making a most informed decision. According to recent online research, over the next several years 64-71% of the jobs that are available in the state of Utah will require individuals to hold a post secondary degree.

While it does not specifically dictate what level of college degree you must have, it is imperative to note that your potential rate of pay will be directly relevant to the amount of college you have successfully completed. For instance, if you only finish a two year associate's level degree you can expect your rate of pay to be considerably less than someone who has completed a graduate level degree. On the opposite end of the employment spectrum, it is important to note that should you only obtain your high school diploma you will be adequately qualified for 19-27% of the jobs that are available in this state. Below you will find some basic information regarding a few of the most popular collegiate choices in the state of Utah. Keep in mind, if none of these options particularly appeal to you, there are many other options you can consider. In fact, no vocational institutes or community colleges are mentioned in this list.

One of the most popular collegiate choices in this state is Brigham Young University. This university is located in Provo and currently reports an undergraduate student enrollment of about 27,000. Brigham Young University is operated as a private educational facility that is affiliated with the Church of Latter Day Saints. In fact, the church's educational system operates this post secondary institution. If you are an individual who is associated with the Church of Latter Day Saints you can expect your tuition at this facility to be considerably cheaper than if you attended another university. This is due to the fact that a portion of your tuition is covered by tithes from the Church of Latter Day Saints. According to the U.S. News and World Report, this university is ranked as number 79 of universities to attend. Prospective students will also have many different academic areas to choose from; this university is comprised of eleven different colleges.

Utah State University is another great choice for interested individuals. This publicly operated institution is located in Logan and is well known for the large amount of research that they conduct each year. In fact, this university spends approximately $186 million each year on different research related activities. One of the most notable areas of research at this educational facility is their aerospace research, along with their ties to the Department of Defense and NASA. Despite the fact that this university was founded in 1888, the current undergraduate population is reported to be nearly 20,000 students. This post secondary institution offers interested students seven different colleges to choose from: Education and Human Services; Natural Resources; Science; Agriculture; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; Business; and Engineering.

The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City, is yet another wonderful academic option for interested individuals. Although this learning institution is well recognized for its focus in research, there are actually eighteen different schools and college for interested undergraduates to select from. In fact, currently about 23,000 undergraduate students are enrolled and enjoying what these colleges and schools have to offer. From a cultural student body standpoint, this university is quite the opposite of its collegiate neighbor, Brigham Young University. Although it began as a trade and technical school, Utah Valley State College recently became a university.

In fact, it currently offers interested students courses of study in areas such as accounting, business, education, and behavioral science. This college is located in Orem and is currently home to nearly 25,000 undergraduate students. Weber State University is another post secondary school you may want to consider. This university is located in Ogden and is affiliated with the Church of Latter Day Saints. Prospective students will have the opportunity to choose from six different colleges: Arts and Humanities, Science, Health Professions, Applied Science and Technology, Education, and Business and Economics.

Utah Industry Sectors & Education Needed

Dubbed the second Silicon Valley all the colleges combined graduate over 21,000 each year with over 5200 of them STEM graduates. Over 37% of all graduates graduate in 4 years and 49% are full time students. Utah has one of the highest test scores of any state.

Top Industries in Utah

The state has over 20 industries with a GDP of over $14 trillion. Some of the top sectors include:

IT – The computer technology sector employs over 71,000. Salaries are 68% higher than the states media salary for all the other industries. Currently Utah has 4300 computer related companies and have received $3 billion in venture capital funding over the past 6 years. Graduates from the surrounding states move into Utah to take advantage of the available jobs and lower cost of living than states like California and Washington.

Healthcare – Utah is ranked 6th in the nation as the healthiest state. It ranks #1 in the fewest individuals with heart disease, cancer deaths and high blood pressure. The medical industry is always in need of entry level healthcare candidates to replace their aging employees that are set to retire in the next 10 years.

Tourism Industry – Utah is known for year around activities with attracts millions to the state each year. The state has the 3rd most national parks. With world class ski resorts the hospitality industry is growing each year and training programs such as hospitality management is a great degree to have if interested in this sector. Over 23.5 million people each year visit the state with over $7.4 billion in traveling spending. County’s like Garfield and Summit County employ over 35% of their population in the tourism industry.

Possible Trade School Career Areas in Utah

Massage Therapy Diploma – Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing is who issues and maintains the massage therapy licensing in the state. You need to find an accredited massage therapy school that will train you in at least 600 hours of coursework.

Dental Assistant Certificate– You’ll need to get trained from an CODA accredited dental assisting school. In order to do x-ray’s all dental assistants will need to completed other state requirements. Utah has over 6180 dental assistants in the state and jobs are predicted to increase 31.4% over the next 10 years. St. George, UT, Ogden and Provo, UT have the highest salaries ranging from $27,210 to $30,850. The most employment opportunities is in Salk Lake City, UT.

HVAC/R – With the demand and strain in the housing market HVAC technicians are in demand and jobs are predicted to increase by 21%. Apprenticeships usually last around 3 years for technicians as you are learning from a licensed HVAC technician. The average HVAC school in Utah can train you in 6 to 18 months. The average training program consists of 700 to 1100 hours of coursework.

Nursing – In Utah the passing rate on the NCLX exam was 87.3%. The state currently employs over 28,895 registered nurses and 3,394 licensed practical nurses. RN’s make on average $60,090 per year when an LPN make between $35,562 to $47,570 per year.

Website & Graphic Design – Because the computer technology sector is so strong, companies are always looking for quality graphic arts and website designers. Higher end UX designers make $64,000 where graphic and website designers make between $35,000-$45,000.

 

Utah College Graduates not Finding Jobs

This is not just in Utah but many millennials are grading this year and not able to find a job in the industry or degree that they studied in. A recent survey found only 22% ended up working in their field within the first 3 years after graduation. The issue is that many of the college graduates today end up with big student loan debt and are forced into a job that they need to take in order to pay off their debt.
Colleges have started to take notice and many have ended degree programs that showed the lowest placement rates. It isn’t that they want to end programs but they also don’t want someone to graduate with little to no chance of breaking into that field of study. This is where the vocational and trade schools in Utah have come in and said “We can help train students in less time and less money”.

Resources

http://www.utah.gov/careers/explore.html
http://www.edcutah.org/