Carpentry classes in North Carolina

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

6 schools offer these carpentry programs, and North Carolina 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 North Carolina, 3 of the 6 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 6 programs

How much do carpentry classes cost in North Carolina?

$190 to $3,270 is what most carpentry programs in North Carolina cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 5 programs with a price. All of them: $180 to $5,050

In the typical program

Finished the program: Too few programs to say
Working 6 months later: Too few programs to say
Earned a year, estimated: Too few programs to say
Length: 17 to 48 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 North Carolina may also offer carpentry classes. How these figures are made

Are there free carpentry classes in North Carolina?

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.²³⁴
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 North Carolina cost $190 to $3,270. Prices on this page run from $180 to $5,050.

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

Carpentry classes in Morehead City, Winston-Salem, Wilmington and other North Carolina cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 1 in smaller cities and towns.

All 6 carpentry programs in North Carolina approved for WIOA funding

6 programs

Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personNo diploma needed
Carpentry - Diploma
Southwestern Community College
Sylva
No diploma needed
Southwestern Community College, Sylva · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimated$23,900
Price if you pay yourself$2,392
School website, Carpentry - Diploma at Southwestern Community College
More details about Carpentry - Diploma at Southwestern Community College
Finished
36%
Working at 6 months
46%
Earned in a quarter
$5,978
Length
48 weeks, 15 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$500
Students counted
76
a year, estimated
$23,900
price
$2,392
Construction and building tradesIn personNo diploma needed
Construction Academy
Carteret Community College
Morehead City
No diploma needed
Carteret Community College, Morehead City · Construction and building trades · In person · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$180
School website, Construction Academy at Carteret Community College
More details about Construction Academy at Carteret Community College
Finished
76%
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
8 weeks, 21 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$76
Students counted
26
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$180
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Carpentry
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem
High school diploma or equivalent
Forsyth Technical Community College, Winston-Salem · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimated$25,700
Price if you pay yourself$3,270
Program website, Carpentry at Forsyth Technical Community College
More details about Carpentry at Forsyth Technical Community College
Finished
39%
Working at 6 months
72%
Earned in a quarter
$6,414
Length
48 weeks, 13 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,200
Students counted
18
a year, estimated
$25,700
price
$3,270
Carpentry certificate or diplomaHybridNo diploma needed
Beginner Carpentry and Woodworking
Cape Fear Community College
Wilmington
No diploma needed
Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington · Carpentry certificate or diploma · Hybrid · No diploma needed
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$190
Program website, Beginner Carpentry and Woodworking at Cape Fear Community College
More details about Beginner Carpentry and Woodworking at Cape Fear Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
14 weeks, 7 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$134
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$190
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
CARPENTRY/NCCER-Levels 1 and 2
Beatties Ford Road Vocational Trade Center Inc.
Charlotte
High school diploma or equivalent
Beatties Ford Road Vocational Trade Center Inc., Charlotte · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourself$5,050
Program website, CARPENTRY/NCCER-Levels 1 and 2 at Beatties Ford Road Vocational Trade Center Inc.
More details about CARPENTRY/NCCER-Levels 1 and 2 at Beatties Ford Road Vocational Trade Center Inc.
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
26 weeks, 16 hours a week
Cost of supplies
$1,000
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
$5,050
Carpentry certificate or diplomaIn personHigh school diploma or equivalent
Carpentry
McDowell Technical Community College
Marion
High school diploma or equivalent
McDowell Technical Community College, Marion · Carpentry certificate or diploma · In person · High school diploma or equivalent
Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
School website, Carpentry at McDowell Technical Community College
More details about Carpentry at McDowell Technical Community College
Finished
Not reported
Working at 6 months
Not reported
Earned in a quarter
Not reported
Length
72 weeks, 37 hours a week
Cost of supplies
Not reported
Students counted
Not reported
a year, estimated
Not reported
price
Not reported

How to pay for carpentry classes in North Carolina

WIOA funding can pay for carpentry classes in North Carolina

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 North Carolina

lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 5th of 19
carpentry programs here, against the typical state's 5: 6 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 North Carolina

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.

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

Where the North Carolina carpentry program numbers come from

Which North Carolina carpentry programs are on this list?

These are the carpentry programs North Carolina 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 North Carolina offers.

How North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Sources for the facts about carpentry classes in North Carolina

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