Carpentry classes in Wisconsin

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

10 schools offer these carpentry programs, and Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, 9 of the 16 programs take students without a high school diploma, and 1 is taught partly or fully online.

See the 16 programs

How much do carpentry classes cost in Wisconsin?

$3,596 to $5,763 is what most carpentry programs in Wisconsin cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 16 programs with a price. All of them: $1,387 to $11,587

In the typical program

Finished the program: 80%
Working 6 months later: 69%
Earned a year, estimated: about $36,600
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 Wisconsin may also offer carpentry classes. How these figures are made

Are there free carpentry classes in Wisconsin?

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 96 people at 2 of the 16 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 Wisconsin cost $3,596 to $5,763. Prices on this page run from $1,387 to $11,587.
Or earn while you learn. Apprentices are paid for their work on the job.⁶ 1 of the 16 programs here is an apprenticeship.

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

Carpentry classes in Rice Lake, Madison, Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities

Choosing an area filters the list below. 3 more programs are in 3 other areas.

How to pay for carpentry classes in Wisconsin

WIOA funding can pay for carpentry classes in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin

programs with a price cost under $3,000: 4 of 16
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare: 12th of 19
carpentry programs here, against the typical state's 5: 16 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 Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin. Ask what you'll pay for the classes and what you'll earn on the job. There is also 1 pre-apprenticeship here, a course that prepares you to apply.

Show only the carpentry apprenticeship

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

Where the Wisconsin carpentry program numbers come from

Which Wisconsin carpentry programs are on this list?

These are the carpentry programs Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin offers.

How Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Sources for the facts about carpentry classes in Wisconsin

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources

Carpentry classes in Wisconsin

How much do carpentry classes cost in Wisconsin?

Are there free carpentry classes in Wisconsin?

Carpentry classes in Rice Lake, Madison, Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities

All 16 carpentry programs in Wisconsin approved for WIOA funding

Construction and Remodeling

Building Trades - Carpentry

Carpenter Pre-Apprenticeship Readiness Program

Residential Construction

Building Trades - Carpentry

Building Construction and Cabinetmaking

Carpentry Techniques

Carpentry

Carpentry Apprenticeship

Construction Residential Building

Wood Manufacturing Technology

Building Trades—Carpentry

Construction Foundations

Advanced Construction Essentials

Construction Essentials

Construction and Cabinetmaking