Carpentry classes in California: costs and how to get them free

Are there free carpentry classes in California?

Yes, if you qualify. WIOA (public workforce funding) can pay for any program on this page, in full or in part, depending on local limits.²³⁴In program year 2024 it paid toward the training of at least 79 people at 1 of the 8 programs here.
Ask an American Job Center whether you qualify, or call 1-877-872-5627.⁵ Before funding training, the center goes through an assessment and a career plan with you.⁴
Or pay yourself. Most carpentry programs in California cost $906 to $3,396. Prices on this page run from $450 to $8,000.
Or earn while you learn. Apprentices are paid for their work on the job.⁶ 1 of the 8 programs here is an apprenticeship.

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: paid apprenticeships, financial aid and the GI Bill

Carpentry classes in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and other California cities

Choosing an area filters the list below.

All 8 carpentry programs in California approved for WIOA funding

8 programs

Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry Trades
Charter Oak Adult Education
Covina
No diploma needed
Charter Oak Adult Education, Covina · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$450
Program website, Carpentry Trades at Charter Oak Adult Education
More details about Carpentry Trades at Charter Oak Adult Education
Finished
90%
Working at 6 months
69%
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
30 weeks, 6 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,285
Students counted
154
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$450
Pre-apprenticeshipIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program
JobTrain
Menlo Park
High school diploma or equivalent
JobTrain, Menlo Park · Pre-apprenticeship · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$37,200
Price if you pay yourself$8,000
Program website, Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program at JobTrain
More details about Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program at JobTrain
Finished
100%
Working at 6 months
58%
Earned in a quarter
$9,308
Length
12 weeks, 30 hours a week
Cost of supplies
None listed
Students counted
145
a year, estimated
$37,200
price
$8,000
Pre-apprenticeshipIn personEducation and courses
Heartland Coalition Carpentry Construction Pre-Apprenticeship
Heartland Coalition
Pomona
Education and courses
Heartland Coalition, Pomona · Pre-apprenticeship · In person · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimated$33,500
Price if you pay yourself$5,000
79 students trained with WIOA funding
Program website, Heartland Coalition Carpentry Construction Pre-Apprenticeship at Heartland Coalition
More details about Heartland Coalition Carpentry Construction Pre-Apprenticeship at Heartland Coalition
Finished
82%
Working at 6 months
75%
Earned in a quarter
$8,369
Length
8 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$943
Students counted
79
a year, estimated
$33,500
price
$5,000
trained with WIOA funding
79
Carpentry certificate or diplomaHybridEducation and courses
Carpentry Certificate of Accomplishment
City College of San Francisco
San Francisco
Education and courses
City College of San Francisco, San Francisco · Carpentry certificate or diploma · Hybrid · Education and courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$598
More details about Carpentry Certificate of Accomplishment at City College of San Francisco
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
18 weeks, 12 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$29
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$598
Construction and building tradesIn personPrerequisite courses
Construction Technology C.A.
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo
Prerequisite courses
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo · Construction and building trades · In person · Prerequisite courses
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$1,008
Program website, Construction Technology C.A. at Cuesta College
More details about Construction Technology C.A. at Cuesta College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
36 weeks, 29 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,044
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$1,008
Carpentry apprenticeshipIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry Journeyman
Santiago Canyon College
Santa Ana
No diploma needed
Santiago Canyon College, Santa Ana · Carpentry apprenticeship · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$1,604
More details about Carpentry Journeyman at Santiago Canyon College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
10 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,500
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$1,604
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry: Certificate of Achievement
Laney College
Oakland
No diploma needed
Laney College, Oakland · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$1,734
Program website, Carpentry: Certificate of Achievement at Laney College
More details about Carpentry: Certificate of Achievement at Laney College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
52 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,688
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$1,734
Carpentry or construction (associate degree)In personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Carpentry: A.S. Degree
Laney College
Oakland
High school diploma or equivalent
Laney College, Oakland · Carpentry or construction (associate degree) · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$2,861
Program website, Carpentry: A.S. Degree at Laney College
More details about Carpentry: A.S. Degree at Laney College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
52 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,688
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$2,861

How to pay for carpentry classes in California

WIOA funding can pay for carpentry classes in California

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Paid carpentry apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a job: you're paid to learn, with a raise as your skills grow, and most include classroom teaching. You apply to the employer or the program sponsor. Ask what you'll pay for the classroom part and what you'll earn on the job.⁶

Financial aid and grants for carpentry classes

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.⁷⁸

GI Bill for carpentry classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.⁹

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Quick facts: Carpentry classes in California

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 1st of 19
carpentry programs here, against the typical state's 5: 8 vs 5

State comparisons use the same figures as the carpentry classes by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

Carpentry apprenticeships in California

A carpentry apprenticeship sets a number of hours of classes and paid work on the job for each year. Unions and contractor associations run most programs, and apprentices learn carpentry basics, blueprint reading, math, building codes, and safety and first aid.¹

You apply to the employer or the program sponsor, not through a school.⁶ The Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder lists openings by place and job. This page lists 1 carpentry apprenticeship approved for WIOA funding in California. Ask what you'll pay for the classes and what you'll earn on the job. There are also 2 pre-apprenticeships here, courses that prepare you to apply.

Show only the carpentry apprenticeship

What is an apprenticeship, and can WIOA pay for one?

Where the California carpentry program numbers come from

Which California carpentry programs are on this list?

These are the carpentry programs California approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).¹⁰ The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what California offers.

How California carpentry program prices are reported

The price is tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported it. "Trained with WIOA funding" on a program counts the people whose training there WIOA paid toward through a training account in program year 2024; the file never gives counts under 3, so a program without the line may still take WIOA students. It does not say how much of the price WIOA covered. Prices under $100 are treated as not reported, because the file holds many blanks entered as $0. Check the current price with the school.

What the graduate results of these programs measure

The figures at the top of this page are the middle program among those that report results: half did better, half did worse. Results describe students who left each program in recent years: the share who finished, the share working in the second quarter after leaving, and the middle earnings of those working in that quarter. States report earnings for that one quarter because they take them from the wage reports employers file every three months. The yearly figure here is that quarter times four, rounded to the nearest $100: an estimate, and an early one, since it is measured about half a year after training. The quarter as reported is under "More details" on each program. Results are withheld for small programs, and they describe past students, so they are no guarantee.

Why do some carpentry programs say "Not reported"?

Where a school or the state left a field empty, or the Department of Labor withheld it, the page says "Not reported". Nothing here is estimated to fill a gap.

Why the kind of school is left off each program

The file also records whether a school is public, private or nonprofit, but those entries are wrong too often to print next to a school's name, so this page leaves them out.

Other training in California

Sources for the facts about carpentry classes in California

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Carpentry classes in California

How much do carpentry classes cost in California?