Haney Technical College in Panama City has openings for spring semester

PANAMA CITY − For Alexandra Murphy, trade schools are important because they help people learn skills needed to create brighter futures.

As chief community relations officer of Tom P. Haney Technical College, Murphy said the school located in Panama City still has openings in four of its 18 education programs offered in the spring 2023 semester. The available programs are for aviation mechanics, automotive collision repair, marine mechanics and medical administrative specialists.

As of Wednesday, there were fewer than 10 spots left in each program, which begins classes on Jan. 9.

"This is a big opportunity to get in on these programs," Murphy said. "All of our programs are very high demand job placement right now, and it isn't just locally. It can be (across) the country and actually internationally. Students with trades typically always will have opportunities for employment."

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She noted technical schools are great options for those who do not want to attend a four-year college, but still want to learn hands-on skill that can be used to land many well-paying jobs. In addition to requiring less time to graduate than traditional colleges, technical schools often have smaller class sizes.

Students also only take classes specifically related to their career fields, rather than taking unrelated prerequisite courses, too. Haney Technical College also accepts the same federal financial aid programs as other four-year institutions.

"Students love that we do not do student loans. They love that most all of them, if they desire to work, have job opportunities while they're in school ... and the fact that it is so affordable and much faster," Murphy said.

Those interested can apply for the programs by visiting haney.edu. Murphy said registration deadlines are based on a course's capacity, meaning as long as spots are still available, people have until Jan. 9 to apply.

Programs at Haney Technical College range in length from nine months to more than two years. They cost anywhere from about $2,600 to more than $7,000 − this includes needed books, supplies and tuition.

"Typically, you do not have to have a high school diploma to start all of our programs," Murphy said. "For the most part, if somebody has a desire to enroll, they need to contact us because there are not the same level of requirements (as for tradition colleges)."