Williamson College of the Trades
Williamson College of the Trades partners with Blackbaud to integrate entire campus like never before.
Williamson College of the Trades in Pennsylvania has provided trade education since 1888. Looking ahead, the college wanted to integrate each facet of operations, from back-office processes to student engagement, to meet expectations of faculty and students alike.
Our technology solution is now on par with the best-practice education we provide our students. That is truly exciting for all of us invested in the future fulfillment of Williamson’s mission and vision.
Williamson College of the Trades aims to provide young men in need with the opportunity to become respected leaders and productive members of society. Since 1888, the college has offered academic, trade, technical, leadership, moral, and religious education based on the values of faith, integrity, diligence, excellence, and service.
About 100 young men—generally over 75% of whom are federal Pell Grant eligible—each year receive a fully-funded, three-year education valued at nearly $100,000 through Williamson College. Students have the choice to focus on a trade, such as carpentry, masonry, machine tools technology, paint and coatings technology, landscaping and turf management, or power plant technology.
“For these young men, college may have never been a real consideration,” said Todd Zachary, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff. “But now they’re being offered a $97,000 scholarship and—with hard work—a ticket to a successful career.”
Williamson’s graduates enjoy a 98% job placement rate, with the remaining 2% accounting for students who go on to pursue higher education. “For the most recent graduating class, we had 175 companies competing for 79 graduates,” Zachary said. “On average, graduating students often receive four to five highly competitive offers in their specific discipline.”
A New Solution for New Needs
With growing expectations from its faculty and students, the need for a more robust education management solution became increasingly apparent. Williamson’s search for the right solution began and eventually ended with Blackbaud.
“We looked at a number of options in addition to Blackbaud. You name it, we looked at it,” Zachary said. “But our 20-plus year history with Blackbaud and its solutions for higher education held the promise of providing everything we wanted to achieve and more.”
