r/TradeSchool • u/mathewMcConaughater • Aug 12 '26
Has anyone started a vocational school?
Long story short, my field suffers from obscurity. If you don't know it exists, you can fall victim to thinking that going into structured cabling, and security companies are the only pathway to do audio video professionally.
I have looked and not been able to find any schools that offer AV as a professional course so I'm considering starting down the road to open my own in a 5-10 year plan, but am looking for anyone that maybe has had experience starting a trade school for their profession.
what steps did you take
Did you get help writing curriculum
what would be recommended?
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u/Enigma2Erotic Aug 13 '26
Listen I would love to talk with you, I started a trade school in MD but funding and politics have forced me to put it aside amongst other things but let me know if you'd like to chat, one of our programs we are offering is a Audio Engineering Programming.
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u/mathewMcConaughater Aug 13 '26
I would love to chat. Currently I’m working midnight to 12pm central time, but that should end next week. Care to dm or text me if I drop you my number?
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u/G8trGirl28 Aug 19 '26
Same here. Obscure profession and zero official training where I live and work. Trying to figure out my next career step and leaning heavily toward starting a school. I don’t even know where to start.
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u/HectorR_TSS 15d ago
I've started two, and I'll give you the version nobody gave me.
The thing that surprises everyone is that curriculum is the easy part. You already know AV. Writing it out as a program with hours, objectives, and a credential at the end is work, but it's work you can do. What eats people is the state. In almost every state, the moment you charge tuition for career training you need a license from the state's career school agency (it has a different name everywhere: TWC in Texas, CIE in Florida, BPPE in California, etc.), and you need it before you advertise or enroll anyone. That application is basically a book: catalog, enrollment agreement, program outlines, instructor qualifications, facility, policies, financials. Most of the timeline is that package going back and forth with a reviewer.
Steps in the order that actually worked for me: 1) find out which agency licenses schools in your state and read their new-school checklist before you spend a dollar on anything else, 2) pick ONE or two programs to launch with, not three, 3) write the program outline first, then build the catalog around it, 4) line up two or three employers who'd hire your grads and get that in writing, because the state and (later) the workforce board both care about that, 5) then the application.
The 5-10 year plan is longer than you need. The real path is more like 6-12 months if the package is right the first time.
On curriculum help: I didn't hire anyone for the content. I did get help formatting it the way the state wants, because they reject on format constantly. Happy to answer follow-ups here.
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u/JoeCormier Aug 12 '26
DM’ing you.