Trade & Technical Training

Clock Hour / What are Cohorts

Launch Your Career in as Little as Six Months

Skip the traditional degree and get straight to work. Our hands-on, clock-hour programs focus on real-world skills in healthcare, beauty & wellness, and trades—measuring your progress by the hours you train, not the credits you earn.

Stats

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Typical Length

300–830 clock hours

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Program Format

Short-Term weeks to months

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Focus

Job-Ready career skills

Clock Hour Programs vs. Credit Programs

Clock Hour Programs vs. Credit Programs

 
Clock Hour Programs
Credit Programs
Measured by Time in training Academic credits
Duration Weeks to months Semesters to years
Outcome Certificate Degree
Schedule Fixed and predictable Schedule varies, enrollment not guaranteed
Focus Job-ready skills Broad academics

A Fraction of the Cost

At GateWay, clock hour tuition is $5 per clock hour, compared to $97 per credit hour in a traditional credit-based program.

Cost comparison graphic Clock hour programs cost $5 per hour versus $97 per credit hour — nearly 20 times less. CLOCK HOUR PROGRAMS $5 per clock hour CREDIT PROGRAMS $97 per credit hourVS

Most of our clock hour programs are financial aid eligible — making an already affordable path even more accessible for students who qualify.

How Our Cohort Model Works

At GateWay, all clock hour programs are cohort-based. A cohort is a group of students who start together and move through the entire curriculum as a unit, on the same schedule, at the same pace, finishing on the same date. Set start dates mean your seat is secured from day one, and the shared experience builds the kind of peer support that carries students all the way through to completion.

Why the Cohort Model Works

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Clear Path to Completion

You know exactly which classes you are taking, when they meet, and when you finish. Your seat is secured from the moment your cohort begins.

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Industry-Experienced Instructors

Small cohorts mean direct access to instructors who bring real-world experience in healthcare, beauty and wellness, and trades into every class session.

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A Lasting Professional Network

The relationships built inside a cohort often extend well beyond graduation, leading to job referrals, mentorship, and long-term connections within your field.

Find Your Program & Upcoming Start Dates

Find Your Program & Upcoming Start Dates

Cohorts fill quickly

Cohorts fill quickly — enroll before your program's start date to secure your seat.

Program start dates are subject to change or cancellation. Check this page regularly for the most current information.

Clock Hour Divisions

Beauty and Wellness Start Dates

Beauty and Wellness
Program Name Start date - end date Campus
Aesthetician 11/09/26 - 06/14/27
11/09/26 - 06/14/27
Central City
Deer Valley
Cosmetology 01/11/27 - 02/10/28
03/22/27 - 04/19/28
Central City
Cosmetology 03/22/27 - 04/19/28 Deer Valley
Nail Technician 11/09/26 - 06/14/27 Deer Valley

Beauty and Wellness

Male cosmetology student in blue scrubs happily practicing hair styling on a mannequin in a campus salon
Student performing a professional manicure in a salon lab
Cosmetology students practicing hair styling on a mannequin head
Aesthetician student performing a facial assessment under a magnification lamp
Student practicing precise haircutting and sectioning techniques on a mannequin in a cosmetology class
Student performing a professional manicure in a salon lab
Student administering a treatment in an aesthetics clinic lab
GateWay Beauty and Wellness instructor demonstrating hair shears technique with a student and client

Clock Hour Healthcare Start Dates

Clock Hour Healthcare
Program Name Start date - end date Campus
Clinical Phlebotomy 10/26/26 - 04/20/27
03/22/27 - 08/31/27
18th Street
Electrocardiogram (ECG) Technician 01/25/27 - 06/24/27 18th Street
Emergency Medical Technology (EMT) 01/11/27 - 05/20/27 Deer Valley
Massage Therapy 01/11/27 - 09/13/27
01/11/27 - 09/13/27
Central City
Deer Valley
Medical Assisting 01/11/27 - 10/06/27 Washington
Medical Billing and Coding TBD Online
Pharmacy Technician 01/11/27 - 07/22/27 18th Street

Clock Hour Healthcare

Student practicing blood collection techniques on a patient in a phlebotomy room
Healthcare worker and patient inside a clinical exam room with diagnostic monitoring equipment
Diagnostic ECG monitor showing heart rhythm telemetry readings
Healthcare students practicing clinical phlebotomy skills together in a lab classroom
Healthcare provider preparing ECG lead cables beside a patient bed
Phlebotomy student performing arm preparation for a blood draw
Healthcare student applying a tourniquet to a classmate during phlebotomy training
Healthcare student applying a tourniquet to a classmate during phlebotomy training

Trades

Instructor and student reviewing automotive diagnostic equipment
Students sanding a vehicle bumper on a stand in a body repair shop
Student inspecting an auto frame section in a collision repair shop
Collision repair student mixing body filler with protective gear
Students listening to an instructor lecture in an automotive repair shop
Students prepping and sanding a car panel in an auto body lab
Automotive collision repair student standing in the training garage
Student sanding a vehicle body panel with protective gear