About Susie and how we rank training programs
ConsumerChoiceTraining.com helps you find training that actually pays. Susie, our AI career coach, and the catalog behind her compare state-approved programs by what they cost, how long they take, what the jobs pay and how fast those jobs are growing.
Talk or type to Susie about what you can do or what you want to do. She knows program costs, duration, wages, dual-enrollment eligibility and placement information, and points you to the stackable career pathways with the highest return for you. Prefer to explore on your own? Browse the full catalog.
What's in the catalog
- 63,291training programs
- 43,382available for dual enrollment
- 5,773colleges, schools and training providers
- 40 + DCstates covered
- 211state sources indexed
From the catalog's current data refresh (April 2026). Figures change as states update their lists.
The LER.me network behind it
ConsumerChoiceTraining.com is powered by LER.me, which links training programs, verifiable credentials and live employer demand. These figures update live from the LER.me Talent Pipeline.
- 320,674programs and credentials indexed
- 413,665verifiable credentials issued
- 4.3M+skills badged
- 1,086,323U.S. job postings analyzed
- 440,229current U.S. job postings
- 126,485job titles mapped
As of October 26, 2026. Data provided by LER.me Career Intelligence.
Four collections
Highest-value programs. State- and industry-approved, outcome-accountable, funding-eligible training from state Eligible Training Provider Lists (ETPL), cross-referenced with dual-enrollment partners and institution sources.
High-quality free training. Courses curated by career pathway from 150 free, employer-recognized training platforms.
Stackable credentials. Industry-aligned and recognized credentials that ladder up to higher-value programs and degrees.
Apprenticeships. Roughly 4,500 curated Registered Apprenticeship programs with U.S. Department of Labor completion-rate information by state and industry.
Programs by type
| Program type | Programs |
|---|---|
| Industry certificate | 32,269 |
| Certificate | 8,382 |
| Associate's degree | 7,192 |
| Apprenticeship | 3,102 |
| Bachelor's degree | 2,973 |
| License or licensure | 2,499 |
| Employment training | 914 |
| Master's degree | 843 |
| Diploma | 269 |
| Doctoral degree | 237 |
| Other or unclassified | 4,611 |
States and territories covered
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
How we score programs
Every program gets the same transparent scores, so you can compare a short certificate with a two-year degree on equal terms.
ROI (wage ÷ cost)
ROI = median annual wage for the program's occupation ÷ total tuition
A value of 10x means the median annual wage is ten times the cost of tuition. Occupations are matched by SOC code. State wages are used when available, otherwise national wages. Wage data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 estimates (published March 2025).
Value Score (0–100)
Value Score = Cost (40) + Duration (30) + Dual enrollment (20) + ROI (30), rescaled to 100
| Factor | How it's graded |
|---|---|
| Cost | ≤$2k: 40 · ≤$5k: 35 · ≤$10k: 28 · ≤$20k: 20 · ≤$40k: 12 · more: 5 |
| Duration (clock hours) | ≤200: 30 · ≤600: 25 · ≤1,200: 20 · ≤1,800: 14 · more: 8 |
| Dual enrollment | Available: 20 · not available: 0 |
| ROI | ≥20x: 30 · ≥10x: 25 · ≥5x: 20 · ≥3x: 14 · ≥1.5x: 8 · less: 3 |
When tuition isn't listed, ROI falls back to median wage bands (≥$80k: 20 · ≥$60k: 16 · ≥$45k: 12 · ≥$30k: 8 · less: 4). Factors with no data are dropped and the maximum rescales, so programs without a listed cost or hours aren't penalized.
Employability Outlook Score (0–100)
Outlook = Growth (40) + Openings (40) + Scale (20)
| Factor | How it's graded |
|---|---|
| Projected 10-year growth | ≥15%: 40 · ≥8%: 32 · ≥4%: 24 · ≥0%: 14 · ≥−5%: 6 · less: 0 |
| Annual openings from growth | ≥50k: 40 · ≥20k: 32 · ≥8k: 24 · ≥2k: 16 · ≥500: 10 · >0: 5 · none: 0 |
| Current U.S. workforce | ≥1M: 20 · ≥500k: 16 · ≥200k: 12 · ≥50k: 8 · >0: 4 · none: 0 |
Annual openings are the 10-year numeric change divided by 10. Projections are national, applied by SOC code, from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 program. Wages are state-specific when available, so the score is a hybrid: local wages, national growth and openings.
Where the data comes from
- State Eligible Training Provider Lists (ETPL) and state dual-enrollment sources, published by state workforce and education agencies.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
- U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data, including completion rates. Explore every listing in the DOL Apprenticeship Finder.
- Free training platforms: 150 free, employer-recognized providers, curated by career pathway.
Know a state-approved provider, free platform, credential ladder or apprenticeship sponsor we should add? Submit a source. We review every submission.
Frequently asked questions
What is ConsumerChoiceTraining.com?
A free-to-browse catalog and AI career coach that helps people compare state-approved workforce training programs, dual-enrollment options, free industry-aligned training and Registered Apprenticeships by cost, duration, wages, return on investment and job outlook. It is powered by LER.me.
Who is Susie?
Susie is the site's AI career coach. Talk or type to her about what you can do or want to do, and she points you to training with the best return for you, using program costs, duration, wages, dual-enrollment eligibility and placement information from the catalog.
What is an Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL)?
A state-maintained list of training providers and programs approved to receive federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) training funds. Programs on an ETPL are accountable for reporting outcomes such as completion, employment and earnings.
What is dual enrollment?
Dual enrollment lets high school students take college or training courses and earn credit toward a credential while still in high school, getting a head start on college credit and real-world employability skills.
How many programs and states does the catalog cover?
As of the April 2026 data refresh, 63,291 programs from 5,773 providers across 40 states and the District of Columbia, drawn from 211 indexed state sources. 43,382 of those programs are available for dual enrollment.
How does LER.me relate to this site?
LER.me powers ConsumerChoiceTraining.com and provides the accounts used to keep chatting with Susie. Its wider network indexes over 320,000 programs and credentials, has issued over 400,000 verifiable credentials covering more than 4 million skills, and analyzes over a million U.S. job postings. See the live figures at live.ler.me.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to browse the catalog. Without signing in you can get three chat replies from Susie and open three full program cards. After that, you create or sign in to a LER.me account to keep going.