KAYSVILLE—Graduation is around the corner and some students have already laid out a plan for either work or college but a four year degree at a university isn’t for everyone. Davis Technical College (Davis Tech) has multiple programs that can get students on the path to a career or give them credits that can be transferred to a four year institution. 

“It’s very affordable,” said Lance Eastman, Associate Vice President of Training Division at Davis Tech. “It’s $40 a year plus books and supplies for high school students. That’s exceptional. They can start here and in the process change the courses to credit for a public university.”

Snow College accepts Davis Tech’s programs to put those credits toward an associate degree, he said. “They can go there or there is an option to take classes online. It varies by program so check with Snow or other receiving institutions for what they accept.”

There has been a push for public institutions to align their courses with tech courses so students can transfer those credits, said Eastman. “Davis Tech has pathways to Weber State. A student in our diesel heavy duty program can receive up to 28 credits at Weber toward an associate degree in their program. High schoolers can take courses for a low cost and potentially transfer up.”

Eastman said there is a statewide mandate now that technical colleges shift from clock hours to credit. “That helps align our curriculum so students can transfer the same course at Davis Tech to Weber State and it will have the same name and number so they can give the credits. That way students don’t have to duplicate credits.”

The majority of students who come to Davis Tech are looking to get out and start a career they’re trained in, he said. “Employers are here all the time. It’s a great time to have a trade. Technical skills can lead to many opportunities. It's not a dead end job, they can do very well. This is a starting point.”

The faculty cares about people, said Eastman. “They want them to be successful. There is a certain level of competency they require to get someone trained in that industry. Industries want competent employees.”

The goal is to help people get out and work, he said. “That benefits the whole economy and spurs growth. Society grows in general which helps the economy grow.”

Eastman said the most popular programs at Davis Tech are practical nursing, welding, information technology, cyber security and electrical apprenticeship. “Those are some of our biggest. Plumbing and electrical are our longest programs at four years to complete an apprenticeship but they’re already employed and coming two nights a week to work on their apprenticeship. It’s booming – between both there are close to 600 students.”

Davis Tech also offers a scholarship program, he said. “If a senior enrolls in one of our classes and stays in it they basically have a year scholarship.They can apply for the scholarship and FAFSA and they should realistically be able to finish the program at almost no cost. Even if they don’t get FAFSA we’re going to give them a scholarship for up to a year. We’ve had a lot of students take advantage of that.”

Davis Tech has a little more than 6,000 students a year, said Eastman. “Our parking lot gets fuller by the day. We’ve seen some tremendous growth. We’re grateful for everything we have here at the school.”

Davis Tech’s main campus is located at 550 E. 300 South in Kaysville.