Central Lakes College-Brainerd
Central Lakes College-Brainerd offers hands-on training for skilled trades with a strong emphasis on employer connections. Many programs, like Heavy Equipment Operations, utilize extensive outdoor labs, including a 360-acre training site, and prepare students for certifications like a Class A CDL. The college maintains partnerships with regional businesses and agencies to provide internship opportunities and ensure curriculum meets industry standards, with 95% of graduates finding jobs in their field within a year.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition
All Programs at Central Lakes College-Brainerd
10 trade programs at Central Lakes College, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.
| Program | Score | Earnings | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Truck Driving & CDL
Ground Transportation Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
90 | $64,164/yr | $10,952 |
|
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
80 | $68,032/yr | $19,391 |
|
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
73 | $35,623/yr | — |
|
Vehicle Repair Technology
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
71 | $41,672/yr | $6,500 |
|
Welding & Metalworking
Precision Metal Working Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
66 | $40,671/yr | $5,500 |
|
Dental Assisting
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
62 | $40,329/yr | — |
|
Electromechanical Technology
Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
61 | $60,937/yr | — |
|
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
59 | $23,883/yr | — |
|
Health Sciences
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Compare nationwide → |
50 | $41,201/yr | $14,500 |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in MN → |
41 | $26,133/yr | $9,425 |
Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.
More Trade Schools in Minnesota
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Minnesota, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in Minnesota
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Minnesota. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Brainerd
Other cities in Minnesota with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Brainerd.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 10 trade and vocational programs at Central Lakes College-Brainerd using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).
The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.