Can You Go to Technical School Online?

April 4, 2025 byCharlotte Davies

5 min to read

A high school student working on reparing a robot for ar STEM project.

The future looks bright for those exploring technical careers, with more Gen Z students than ever choosing to enroll in technical schools rather than traditional colleges. The reasons cited often include:

the rising cost of college education
shorter time commitment
job security

But are online trade schools an option for students still in high school? In short, yes!

And here are a few reasons why attending a trade school, technical school, or career-focused training while still in high school can be an investment in their future.

What Can Online Trade Schools Offer Students?

Taking career and technical education (CTE) classes before graduating high school can give students a head start learning the essential technical and interpersonal skills they’ll need once they’re ready to enter the workforce. Some institutions offer full CTE curriculum and others offer a more blended experience where CTE classes are offered but the curriculum is not specified for the trades.

While online high schools like Connections Academy aren’t trade schools, some schools offer CTE courses and opportunities to explore career options that can help prepare students to hit the ground running on the jobsite.

Here are some of the benefits of taking CTE classes online:

Flexibility

Balancing family commitments or work sometimes requires extra flexibility; online technical school can support students who need more wiggle room in their schedule or need to navigate doctor visits or other appointments regularly.

Soft Skill Development

Even though technical school focuses on hard skills, interpersonal skills like the 4 C’s (collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration) are essential for any work environment. Online trade schools can help students practice and develop these skills in a virtual environment before implementing them in real life.

Earn Certifications

CTE gives students the opportunity to explore and earn industry certifications while they’re still in school, which can help them with the essential step of securing an apprenticeship after graduation.

Early Career Exposure

This exposure gives students the chance to explore what an industry would feel and be like, helping them decide whether it’s right for them or if they need to pivot.

How Connections Academy Supports Career Readiness

Connections Academy is devoted to supporting students in the pursuit of their passions and their future. Select schools offer career pathways in fields like health science, information technology and business through our college and career readiness offerings built around a traditional core curriculum and specialized, career-focused electives. Currently enrolled Connections Academy students can reach out to their school guidance counselors to learn more about technical school opportunities.

Connections Academy students can also start developing their skills early by earning credentials in leadership, collaboration, communication and more through Credly, our digital badging platform. Connections Academy is the only virtual public school to partner with Coursera, a global online education platform which gives qualifying students the chance to earn entry-level professional certificates from companies like Google, Meta, IBM, Salesforce, and more before graduating.

To learn more about how Connections Academy can help support your student’s career goals, download our free eGuide and speak with an enrollment specialist.