How to Pick the Best Electrician Trade School near Slocomb Alabama
The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Slocomb AL. But with so many technical schools to choose from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are a number of points to evaluate. For instance, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are close to their home. After they have located several that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that must be considered. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifiers should help mold your ultimate judgment when selecting an electrician trade school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs
There are three general options to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Slocomb AL. You can select a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. In many cases these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to become licensed or if you wish to become certified. Following are short descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Alabama vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards those who want to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to finish and are provided by Alabama junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at certain Alabama colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be performed before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Slocomb AL can carry out a multitude of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but usually about 4 to 5 years of experience is called for before taking the licensing examination. The exams usually assess electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves three levels of proficiency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying agencies include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician vocational school that you pick not only delivers a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online
An option that you might have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning can be a more accommodating option for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Driving costs from Slocomb AL are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can be accessed on line also. All of these advantages can make electrician online vocational schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Considering that there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Slocomb AL region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be important when making your determination, there are other variables that need to be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess before choosing an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Slocomb AL program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you acquire an excellent education, it can help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, a number of states require that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It may also indicate that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of graduates, which can produce more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Slocomb AL grads obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician technical programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with Slocomb AL area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Slocomb AL electrical company if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Slocomb home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to some of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Slocomb AL, check that the schools you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Industrial Electrical Training Online Slocomb Alabama
Selecting the best electrical training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Industrial Electrical Training Online and wanting more information on the topic Electrician School. But as we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrician training that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers different options for certification also. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Slocomb AL.
More Electric Locations in Alabama
Slocomb, Alabama
Slocomb is a city in Geneva County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 1,980. The community is named after postmaster Frank W. Slocomb.
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 1,980 people, 816 households, and 554 families residing in the city. The population density was 208.4 people per square mile (80.5/km²). There were 955 housing units at an average density of 100.5 per square mile (38.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.2% White, 22.6% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 4.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 816 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.
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