Electrical and Power Transmission Installers at Erie Institute of Technology Inc

Erie Institute of Technology's electrical trades certificate walks a careful line: graduates earn slightly below Pennsylvania's median for the field, but they're doing so with minimal debt—just $14,732, which ranks in the bottom 5% nationally. That's roughly half what most programs saddle students with, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.38 means graduates can reasonably tackle their loans while getting started in the trades.

The catch? Pennsylvania has some standout electrical programs, and this isn't one of them. While EIT graduates earn respectably ($38,674 initially, growing to $42,546 by year four), that 40th percentile state ranking matters. Within an hour's drive, Community College of Allegheny County graduates are earning nearly four times as much, and even smaller regional programs like YTI Career Institute in York substantially outperform EIT. The 10% earnings growth over four years is solid but unremarkable for the field.

The small sample size here deserves serious weight in your decision-making—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these outcomes could shift dramatically year to year. For families seeking a low-debt path into electrical work, this program delivers on that promise. But if your child can access one of Pennsylvania's higher-performing programs, particularly the public community colleges, the earnings difference could dwarf any modest savings on tuition.