Career Training Path

Career Training PathWest Virginia › Mercer County Technical Education Center

Mercer County Technical Education Center

Princeton, West Virginia · Public technical college

LPN / LVN programsPhlebotomy classesElectrician schoolsCosmetology schoolsDental assistant schools
79%completion rate · West Virginia avg 69%
not reportedmedian debt of graduates
$36,860median earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$33,511median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$10,248annual cost of attendance
Yesfederal aid (FAFSA / Pell) eligible
Accreditation: American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation | Council on Occupational Education (Accredited)
Address: 1397 Stafford Dr, Princeton, WV 24740 · Phone: (304) 425-9551 · School website ↗ · Verify on College Scorecard ↗
Accountability record (federal accreditation database, last 36 months; Department of Education oversight)
No accreditor sanctions in the last 36 months
Sanctions are probation, warning, show-cause and loss-of-accreditation actions by any recognized accreditor, including program-specific accreditors (a nursing-program probation counts for the campus). Routine monitoring reviews and voluntary withdrawals are not counted. Ask the school what the action concerned and how it was resolved.
Completion rate vs. benchmarks
Mercer County Technic… Mercer County Technic…: 79.2% 79.2% West Virginia average West Virginia average: 68.5% 68.5% National average National average: 62.1% 62.1%

What these trades pay once you're working

OccupationStarting (10th pct)MedianExperienced (75th)
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses$45,690$55,360$61,300
Phlebotomists$30,570$39,250$44,570
Electricians$43,620$64,810$83,920
Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists$23,580$34,480$46,340
Dental assistants$31,760$37,960$45,180

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wages for everyone employed in the occupation in West Virginia (May 2025; national where the state figure is not published). The program table below shows what this campus's own graduates earned in their first year, whatever job they took.

Trade programs at this campus

ProgramCredentialGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Earnings, yr 2Median debt
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Certificate, 1–2 years 33 $30,371 $31,314 not reported
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions Certificate, under 300 hours 17 not reported not reported not reported
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers Certificate, 1–2 years 11 $28,723 $23,351 not reported
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Certificate, 2–4 years 7 not reported not reported not reported
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions Certificate, 1–2 years 5 not reported not reported not reported

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Graduates per year from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey. Earnings and debt are College Scorecard field-of-study medians for graduates of this program at this campus (reported at the 4-digit program level, so closely related programs share a figure); "not reported" means too few graduates were counted to publish a figure.

Visit the school's website ↗

The Path
Nine months to a paycheck that AI can't take.
A free weekly newsletter for people choosing a hands-on career: trades, technical and healthcare.
Subscribe →

Data: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026. Figures are the U.S. Department of Education's official measures, not Career Training Path's opinion. Tuition, schedules and program availability change — confirm with the school before enrolling.

The Path
Lineworkers earn $95k. Dental hygienists $98k. Barbers $38k.
The federal numbers on every trade, technical and healthcare career, in a free weekly newsletter.
Subscribe →