Want a job starting at $70,000 a year? A Miami college trade program can help
Finding a job can be difficult, but gaining an apprenticeship at Miami Dade College can make the process easier. Apprenticeships are learning programs that allow students to learn new trade or job skills while getting paid for their work.
After completing a one-year or two-year program, apprentices can earn as much as $70,000 when they start in their career fields.
“Continuing technical education programs like apprenticeships are very much in high demand,” said Alexia Rolle, Miami-Dade College dean of career and technical education.
Rolle talked to the Miami Herald last week about what potential apprentices need to know about MDC’s pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
How much does an apprenticeship cost in tuition?
Apprentices receive free tuition and are paid to work at companies.
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How much do apprentices make?
Upon completion of their program, apprentices can earn between $35,000 and $70,000 a year depending on the industry, Rolle said.
“Our certified nursing assistants and teacher assistants or teacher aides are working and making somewhere between $30,000 and $35,000 and our automotive technicians $70,000 plus a year,” she said. “It ranges based on the occupation that the student is being trained in.”
What are some of the apprenticeship jobs?
More than 20 programs prepare apprentices for jobs that include work in the automotive industry as a service technician or healthcare as a dental assistant.
Do apprentices need to be U.S. residents?
Apprentices must establish residency for the same amount of time as their program, Rolle said. If their program lasts one year, they must have residency for the same amount of time.
“If they’re temporary status, it must be at least the length of the program,” she said.
Why are apprenticeships important in 2025?
Rolle said that there has been more of a focus on workforce programs since the end of the pandemic.
“The Department of Education, the Florida Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor have placed an emphasis on workforce programs as a whole, and then career and technical education programs, which are more degree seeking and industry certifications and accelerated credentials,” she said.
More information
For more details on Miami Dade College apprenticeships and technical education, visit https://www.mdc.edu/apprenticeships/.
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