Carpentry classes in Louisiana

5 carpentry programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

5 schools offer these carpentry programs, and Louisiana has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Carpenters build, repair and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials. Most have a high school diploma and learn on the job or through an apprenticeship.¹

In Louisiana, 4 of the 5 programs take students without a high school diploma and 1 asks for a diploma or equivalent.

By kind, the 5 programs here are carpentry certificate or diploma (3 programs), construction and building trades (1 program) and pre-apprenticeship (1 program).

See the 5 programs

How much do carpentry classes cost in Louisiana?

$4,400 to $6,000 is what most carpentry programs in Louisiana cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 5 programs with a price. All of them: $4,103 to $9,287

In the typical program

Finished the program: Left out; Half of Louisiana's programs report exactly 100%
Working 6 months later: Left out; Most of Louisiana's programs report exactly 100%, which no other state comes close to
Earned a year, estimated: Not enough data; 1 program reports it; a typical figure needs 5
Length: 16 to 32 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Louisiana may also offer carpentry classes. How these figures are made

Are there free carpentry classes in Louisiana?

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 13 people at 1 of the 5 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 Louisiana cost $4,400 to $6,000. Prices on this page run from $4,103 to $9,287.

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

All 5 carpentry programs in Louisiana approved for WIOA funding

5 programs

Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry Basic Training
South Louisiana Community College
Lafayette
Accredited school
No diploma needed
South Louisiana Community College, LafayetteCarpentry certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$21,200
Price if you pay yourself$6,000
13 students trained with WIOA funding
Program website, Carpentry Basic Training at South Louisiana Community College
More details about Carpentry Basic Training at South Louisiana Community College
Finished
Left out
Working at 6 months
Left out
Earned in a quarter
$5,311
Length
20 weeks, 20 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,000
Students counted
13
Earned a year, estimated
$21,200
Price if you pay yourself
$6,000
students trained with WIOA funding
13
Program website, Carpentry Basic Training at South Louisiana Community College
Construction and building tradesIn personNo diploma needed
Construction Technology CTS
Nunez Community College
Chalmette
Accredited school
No diploma needed
Nunez Community College, ChalmetteConstruction and building trades · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$4,103
Program website, Construction Technology CTS at Nunez Community College
More details about Construction Technology CTS at Nunez Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
32 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$665
Students counted
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Price if you pay yourself
$4,103
Program website, Construction Technology CTS at Nunez Community College
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Industrial/Form Carpentry
New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Associated Builders & Contractors
St. Rose
High school diploma or equivalent
New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Associated Builders & Contractors, St. RoseCarpentry certificate or diplomaIn person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$4,400
Program website, Industrial/Form Carpentry at New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Associated Builders & Contractors
More details about Industrial/Form Carpentry at New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Associated Builders & Contractors
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
16 weeks, 6 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$2,000
Students counted
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Price if you pay yourself
$4,400
Program website, Industrial/Form Carpentry at New Orleans/Bayou Chapter Associated Builders & Contractors
Pre-apprenticeshipIn personNo diploma needed
CITF Pre-Apprenticeship
Carpenters Training Fund of Louisiana
Metairie
No diploma needed
Carpenters Training Fund of Louisiana, MetairiePre-apprenticeshipIn person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$6,000
Program website, CITF Pre-Apprenticeship at Carpenters Training Fund of Louisiana
More details about CITF Pre-Apprenticeship at Carpenters Training Fund of Louisiana
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
12 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$915
Students counted
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Price if you pay yourself
$6,000
Program website, CITF Pre-Apprenticeship at Carpenters Training Fund of Louisiana
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry
SOWELA Technical Community College
Lake Charles
Accredited school
No diploma needed
SOWELA Technical Community College, Lake CharlesCarpentry certificate or diploma · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$9,287
Program website, Carpentry at SOWELA Technical Community College
More details about Carpentry at SOWELA Technical Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
60 weeks, 40 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$3,600
Students counted
Not reported
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
Price if you pay yourself
$9,287
Program website, Carpentry at SOWELA Technical Community College

How to pay for carpentry classes in Louisiana

WIOA funding can pay for carpentry classes in Louisiana

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

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.

Quick facts: Carpentry classes in Louisiana

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 15th of 20
carpentry programs here, against the typical state's 5: 5 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 Louisiana

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. None of the carpentry programs on this page is an apprenticeship. There is also 1 pre-apprenticeship here, a course that prepares you to apply.

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

Carpentry classes in New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles and other Louisiana cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above.

Other training in Louisiana

How carpentry classes compare with the rest of skilled trades: Trade school programs in Louisiana

Where the Louisiana carpentry program numbers come from

Which Louisiana carpentry programs are on this list?

These are the carpentry programs Louisiana 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 Louisiana offers.

How the prices and results of Louisiana carpentry programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

How reliable are the Louisiana figures?

The US Department of Labor's own results site lists Louisiana among the states with "known data quality concerns".¹¹ We leave out the share working 6 months later for Louisiana: most of its programs report exactly 100%, which no other state comes close to. We leave out the share who finished for Louisiana: half of its programs report exactly 100%.

Sources for the facts about carpentry classes in Louisiana

Show the 11 sourcesHide the sources

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