College Programs

OUR MISSION Preparing our students for today's workforce and tomorrow's opportunities.

College Programs Nearly 30 career-training certificate programs, most of which can be completed in one year or less. Hands-on instruction in health sciences, creative arts and design, administration and professional studies, trades and industry.

14 Apprenticeship trades programs that are taught at 19 sites across Colorado, including Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and the Western Slope.

Schedules are flexible with multiple program start dates throughout the year, day and evening classes, part-time and full-time options and a growing catalog of online classes.

3 downtown Denver locations with convenient access to bus and light rail lines. All three sites have new, improved state-of-the-art training facilities.

Emily Griffith Campus  1860 Lincoln Street  Denver, CO 80203 College of Trades & Industry  1205 Osage Street  Denver, CO 80204 Video Production & Editing/DPStv22 Studios  200 E. 9th Avenue  Denver, CO 80203

Pre-College Programs Language Learning Center EGTC is home to Colorado's largest and most diverse English Language Acquisition (ELA) school serving more than 2,000 immigrants and refugees annually. Students represent nearly half the globe, representing 92 countries and speaking 74 languages. There are more than 40 day and evening English classes and tuition is equal for all.

Adult Basic Education Adult Basic Education (ABE) courses are for students whose goals are to enroll in GED prep or the College and need coursework in reading and math. Classes start every month.

EGTC is one of Colorado’s largest High School Equivalency/General Education Development (GED) preparation and testing sites. Classes are for students whose goal is to pass the GED test, an equivalency test in lieu of a secondary education/high school diploma. Language Arts/Social Studies and Math/Science classes begin every month.

Cost & Credits Some of the least expensive college programs in Colorado with financial aid and scholarships available to help students graduate debt free. Up to 45 credit hours may transfer into an Associate of Applied Science degree at any one of Colorado’s community colleges.

Students We serve nearly 8,000 students each year; the average student age is 29. Our Student Success Center and Career Services teams offer free tutoring, computer access, workshops and job placement support.

A few facts about our career and technical education college student body (rates vary every year): 65% women  13% African American  39% Hispanic/Latino  32% White

Results EGTC boasts some of the state’s highest completion and job placement rates for post-secondary education. Rates vary by program and by year, but the averages are approximately 89% completion and 75% job placement. Denver Public Schools (DPS) Affiliation and Funding EGTC has been affiliated with DPS since its inception in 1916. DPS Board of Education approves (due to state statute language) large contracts and capital projects, and EGTC works within the parameters of DPS fiscal and HR policy and platforms. EGTC has some autonomy from these policies, while maintaining a healthy partnership in areas such as concurrent enrollment.

Funding DPS subsidized tuition and fees for individuals wanting to take classes until 1991 at which time Colorado State statute formalized the Area Vocational Schools within the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and created a line item in the Long Bill to create higher education funding based upon an FTE (Full-Time Equivalency) allocation. EGTC also derives funding through the student-generated tuition and fees for credit classes in certificate programs, as well as various soft-funding streams such as Federal Perkins Grant funding.

Emily Griffith High School Emily Griffith High School (EGHS) is an alternative school focused on retrieving students, 17 to 20, who left high school before earning a diploma. EGHS offers courses toward a high school diploma or a GED.

Emily Griffith Foundation Emily Griffith Foundation raises money for student scholarships, capital improvements, innovative projects, instructional equipment and other needs that cannot be funded by the College's regular financial sources. In 2015, more than $1 million was contributed by individuals, corporations and foundations.

Emily Griffith – Visionary, Leader, Teacher and Principal Emily Griffith had no more than an 8th grade education, yet she taught at Denver’s Central and Twenty-Fourth Street Schools from 1904 to 1912. She realized a parents' lack of a basic education often led to poverty and difficult situations for families. Her strong desire to help adults of all ages and determination drove her to open a school to provide “opportunities for all who wish to learn.” Griffith inspired others with the idea of a school where classes would be "so organized that anyone working in a bakery, store, laundry, or any kind or shop, who has an hour or two to spare, may come to the school and study what he or she wants to learn to make life more useful."

As a result of her steadfast advocacy, the rundown Longfellow School in downtown Denver was remodeled and “Opportunity School” opened September 9, 1916. More than 1,400 students registered the first week! The school was open 13 hours a day; five days a week and subjects included telegraphy, industrial millinery, typing, academic subjects, and English for those who spoke other languages. Her service extended beyond the classroom, as she frequently helped students with bus fare and provided soup to feed hungry learners.

Griffith served as principal of the school for 17 years and retired in 1933 with Opportunity School having served more than 100,000 students. The school was renamed Emily Griffith Opportunity School in 1934 to honor her bringing vocational education to Denver and revolutionizing education throughout Colorado.

On May 19, 2011, the Denver Public School Board unanimously endorsed the name change from Emily Griffith Opportunity School to Emily Griffith Technical College. With this milestone, Colorado’s oldest and largest technical college earned greater credibility and visibility in Colorado’s higher education and business communities.

For a century, the name Emily Griffith has meant community, opportunity and service for all throughout the Denver community. The educator who started her remarkable career in public service made an immeasurable and profound difference in the lives of countless members of our community. DPS has continued to honor her legacy; and in February 2014, the Board of Education agreed to name its new property at 1860 Lincoln Street the Emily Griffith Campus, now home to the Emily Griffith Technical College main campus.

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EGTechCollege Emily Griffith Technical College