Island Drafting and Technical Institute — The College for Careers

Island Drafting and Technical Institute (IDTI) was founded in 1957, and is staffed by faculty members who have had professional and practical experience in the engineering, architectural, CADD (Computer Aided Drafting/ Design) and computer and electronics fields. The Institute is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, and is authorized to confer two-year associate degrees by the New York State Board of Regents.

The Institute’s aim is to graduate students who are well trained and technically qualified so that they may enter their chosen field or continue their education at the baccalaureate or higher level. Island Drafting and Technical Institute has over 50 years of leadership and experience in preparing Long Islanders for careers. By staying abreast of the latest developments in the industry, the Institute continues to provide the personal attention students need to succeed.

IDTI began life as the brainchild of Joseph P. Di Liberto, a senior design engineer at Republic Aviation in Farmingdale. Working at Republic by day and teaching by night, he started the school, then known as Aircraft Trade School, with just eight students. “Mr. D,” as he was known, handled the admissions, administration, and teaching all himself, with help from his wife, Gloria.

After several years, Di Liberto moved the school from its original home in Amityville, N.Y., to the location it has called home ever since — 128 Broadway in the Village of Amityville.

In June 1959, the school incorporated and its name was changed to Island Drafting School.

In March 1973, the name of the school was changed to its current form — Island Drafting and Technical Institute.

IDTI was first accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools on January 21, 1967, being on the first list of schools ever accredited by NATTS.

In February 1997, the school was authorized by the New York State Board of Regents to confer the Associate in Occupational Studies degree. Under this authorization, the Institute is approved to offer degree programs in computer aided drafting and design/mechanical and computer aided drafting and design/ architectural. In December 1997, the Institute was approved to offer degree programs in electronic and computer service technology.

IDTI also offers to industry, as well as to individual job holders, skills training to improve on-the-job capabilities. Programs can be custom designed for particular companies, in addition to the extensive program offerings regularly available.

Though Joseph Di Liberto passed away in 2002, IDTI’s mission has been carried on by the next generation: his two sons. Current school president James G. Di Liberto has been a fixture at the Amityville campus since the 1970s. And, John G. Di Liberto, who joined the school in 2000, got his start at IDTI handing out leaflets back in the 1960s.

In June of last year, Forbes magazine ranked IDTI number 12 on their list of the Top 30 Trade Schools in America.

Despite the technological changes of the past half-century, particularly on Long Island, and as drafting tables give way to computers, and drafters move from drawing airplanes to designing buildings, IDTI has continued to provide educational and employment opportunities for its graduates through concentrated, highly structured programs of study that prepare students for careers. Island Drafting and Technical Institute — The College for Careers.®