Alaska's trade school in Seward can't turn out graduates fast enough

Most students at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center have a job lined up before they finish. "When our students walk across the stage to receive their certifications, most have already secured employment," Labor Commissioner Catherine Muñoz said.

That's the practical version of a distinction AVTEC just picked up again: a spot on USA TODAY's list of America's top vocational schools, its second year running. An earlier national measure put the Seward school in the top 10 percent of 4,500 colleges for what students earn back on their investment a decade after enrolling.

AVTEC is state-run, a division of the Department of Labor, and draws students from across Alaska rather than just the Kenai Peninsula. The Legislature added $2.3 million this spring for equipment and facility upgrades in Seward, which Sen. Bert Stedman tied to the skilled trades feeding oil-patch work, construction, and potential pipeline projects.