Virginia Highlands Community College
Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) offers hands-on training for skilled careers, particularly in healthcare, electrical technology, vehicle maintenance, and precision metal working. The nursing programs, for instance, include supervised learning in labs, clinical settings, and simulated environments, with over 500 hours of clinical instruction for the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing. VHCC emphasizes practical application in its electrical technology and precision machining programs, preparing students for roles such as electricians, industrial maintenance technicians, and machinists. The college also provides career services, including counseling, industry tours, and connections with corporate and industry partners to help with job placement.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Virginia Highlands Community College
8 trade programs at Virginia Highlands CC, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
82 | $65,848/yr | — |
|
Allied Health Professions
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
76 | $62,422/yr | — |
|
Electrical Installation
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
69 | $36,340/yr | — |
|
Vehicle Repair Technology
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
63 | $32,277/yr | — |
|
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
63 | $28,357/yr | — |
|
Medical Assisting
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
53 | $22,314/yr | — |
|
Welding & Metalworking
Precision Metal Working Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
46 | $21,472/yr | — |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in VA → |
34 | $16,768/yr | — |
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 Virginia
Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Virginia, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.
Apprenticeship Pathways in Virginia
Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Virginia. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.
Trade Schools Near Abingdon
Other cities in Virginia with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Abingdon.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 8 trade and vocational programs at Virginia Highlands Community College 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.