Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC)

The Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC) is a public vocational school in Seward, Alaska, and the only post-secondary career and technical training center owned and operated by the State of Alaska. Established in 1969 as the Alaska Skills Center in response to emerging statewide demand for a skilled workforce, it originally operated under the state Department of Education and is now run by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Training is spread across several facilities in Seward: the Applied Technology campus houses the diesel/heavy equipment, industrial welding, and industrial electricity programs; the First Lake campus holds information technology, industrial machine and maintenance, and construction technology; a Port Avenue facility covers refrigeration and plumbing and heating; and the Alaska Maritime Training Center provides maritime training courses. Certificate programs also include culinary arts, based at the Student Life campus, where AVTEC maintains single-occupancy resident dormitories with meals included as well as family apartments. Hands-on lab work makes up more than 70 percent of student learning time. For the 2025-2026 year, program tuition is $3,287 or $4,929 depending on the program, with a $50 application fee and dormitory room and board ranging from about $6,212 to $12,425 by program length. AVTEC has been accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education for more than 25 years. Federal College Navigator data list fall 2024 enrollment at 269 students, a 12-to-1 student-faculty ratio, and a 100 percent graduation rate for the 2021-22 entering cohort.