delaware skills center

What delaware skills center does

Delaware Skills Center is an adult vocational training center operating under the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District, founded in 1963 and located in New Castle, Delaware. It delivers eight career training programs spanning healthcare (Certified Nursing Assistant, Licensed Practical Nurse), skilled trades (Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, Welding), and transportation (Commercial Driver's License), with program durations ranging from six weeks to 18 months.

The curriculum backbone consists of standardized instructional frameworks: NCCER for the skilled trades, ATI for nursing, and Lippincott for CNA instruction. The center employs 16 staff members maintaining an 8:1 student-to-instructor ratio, and reports NCLEX-PN pass rates between 97.2% and 100% across multiple cohorts for the LPN program, which holds ACEN accreditation. It also maintains a network of 100+ local business and employer partners spanning healthcare, construction, and manufacturing for student placement.

The business model is primarily government-funded rather than tuition-funded. The center's $12.45M Career Training Project budget, sourced from a $1.7M U.S. Department of Labor grant and $10.75M from the Delaware Departments of Labor and Education, subsidizes tuition for unemployed and underemployed Delaware residents. Direct tuition list prices for self-pay or non-funded students range from approximately $1,200 (Welding) to $1,800 (CNA) to higher amounts for CDL, with eligibility strictly limited to Delaware residents per funder requirements. Go-to-market is direct, via an online JotForm-based application, with no third-party channel or multi-state delivery model referenced.

Name

delaware skills center

Legal name

Delaware Skills Center

Website

https://deskillscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Delaware Skills Center is an adult vocational training center in New Castle, Delaware, delivering eight healthcare, skilled trades, and CDL programs to Delaware residents, primarily funded through U.S. DOL and Delaware DOL/DOE grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Vocational Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursing Assistant (CNA) & Patient Care Technician (PCT) (EDAOAJAB), Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

Keywords

• Adult vocational training
• Workforce development programs
• Nursing assistant training
• Skilled trades education
• CDL truck driving school

Headquarters

HQ city

New Castle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Direct tuition payments from non-funded applicants for vocational training programs. Tuition varies by program length and intensity, ranging from $2,565 (CNA) to $13,600 (LPN).
2. Government Funding: Federal grant from U.S. Department of Labor ($1,702,000) plus state funding through Delaware Department of Labor and Department of Education ($10,751,424). Total project budget approximately $12.5 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Delaware Skills Center is a public adult vocational training center that delivers rapid, hands-on career training programs (6 weeks to 10.5 months) in healthcare and skilled trades to unemployed and underemployed Delaware residents. Programs include Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Class A, Electrical Trades, HVAC & Refrigeration, Plumbing, Welding and Fabrication, and an Evening Welding program, each producing industry-recognized credentials and pathways to local employment.

Product overview

Delaware Skills Center is an adult vocational training center offering 8 career training programs as part of the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District. The programs include Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Class A, Electrical Trades, HVAC & Refrigeration, Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Plumbing, Welding and Fabrication, and Evening Welding. These are competency-based vocational certification programs lasting 6 weeks to 18 months, providing hands-on training and industry-recognized credentials for careers in healthcare and skilled trades.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% program completion rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• New Castle County Vocational Technical School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDSC operates as the Adult Education Division of NCCVT School District. The district provides governance, funding, and administrative support. DSC is sanctioned by the district and Delaware Board of Nursing.
• Delaware Workforce Development BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides funding for workforce training programs. Combined with Department of Labor funding, accounts for 86% of DSC project budget ($10.75M of $12.45M total).
• Delaware Department of LaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funds workforce training alongside Workforce Development Board. Approved LPN program.
• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredits the LPN program. ACEN accreditation ensures program meets nursing education standards.
• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides standardized curriculum for Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing, and Welding programs. NCCER Core and Level 1 certifications allow graduates seamless transition into second year of Delaware Registered Apprenticeship Program.
• 100+ Local Business Partners (Employer Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 100 employers including healthcare facilities (Christiana Care), manufacturing, construction, and trades companies. Partners provide clinical sites, job placement, and input on training needs. Full list includes: First State Health, Ariron, ABD Delaware, Advance Office, AES, Bancroft Construction, Bayshore Trucks, Brown and Root, Cadia Healthcare, Chick-fil-A, CSC Global, Dell, Delmarva, and many others.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lincoln Tech: National for-profit career college offering HVAC, electrical, welding, nursing, and CDL programs across multiple campuses. Closest direct competitor by program mix, although Lincoln Tech operates at multi-state scale rather than single-county.
• Delaware Technical Community College: Delaware's primary public community college system offering workforce training, technical certificates, and continuing education across the state. Directly competes with DSC for adult vocational learners in Delaware and is even listed as one of DSC's employer/community partners.
• Universal Technical Institute: Publicly traded vocational school specializing in automotive, diesel, welding, and industrial trades. Comparable in offering skilled-trades certifications and serving adult learners, though at larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• ECPI University: Career-focused institution offering nursing, healthcare, and technology programs with accelerated formats. Comparable in adult-learner targeting and competency-based credentials.

Emerging players

• Penn Foster: Online-based career and vocational training provider covering trades, healthcare, and IT at significantly lower price points. Represents the digital-first competitor that may erode DSC's traditional in-person, single-campus model.
• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit providing career training in IT and business for young adults. Comparable mission and funding model (public + private grants), but with different program focus and broader geography.
• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free technology workforce training and job placement. Comparable adult-learner, employer-partner model with strong placement outcomes, though focused on IT rather than trades or nursing.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Large national nonprofit running workforce development, job training, and placement programs across the U.S. Overlapping mission around unemployed/underemployed adult training but at much broader scale and different funding mix.

Others

• New Castle County Vocational Technical School District: Parent K-12 CTE district that houses DSC as its adult education division. Not a peer in the competitive sense, but the institutional framework and governance body that constrains and supports DSC's operations.
• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Curriculum and credentialing organization whose standardized content underpins DSC's trades programs. Indirect competitor-adjacent: NCCER also accredits hundreds of other training sponsors, including some that compete with DSC for apprenticeship-eligible candidates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/delawareskills
• Facebookfacebook.com/DEskillscenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/deskillscenter

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about delaware skills center