How to Select the Best Electrician Technical School near Douglas Alaska
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Douglas AK. But with so many vocational schools to choose from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, some prospective students will commence by searching for schools that are close to their home. Once they have located a few that are within driving range, they will choose the one with the cheapest tuition. Even though location and cost are of importance, they are not the only factors that must be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your ultimate decision when choosing an electrician trade school. We will cover that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training options that are offered.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs
There are multiple options to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Douglas AK. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states to become licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Bellow are short summaries of the three most typical programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by Alaska trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards those who would like to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to finish and are offered by Alaska junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain Alaska institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be completed before licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Douglas AK can perform a multitude of duties, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about four to five years of experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams usually evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in many specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually involves 3 levels of competency:
- 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 important that the electrician vocational school that you select not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
A possibility that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require some attendance on-campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning may be a more practical choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on-campus competitors. Travelling expenses from Douglas AK are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available on line as well. Each of these advantages can make electrician online trade schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
When you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Considering that there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Douglas AK region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are other variables that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make certain that the Douglas AK program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you acquire an excellent education, it can assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It could also signify that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which can produce more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Douglas AK grads secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Douglas AK area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical specialist you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Douglas AK electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Douglas home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Talk with some of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to some of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Douglas AK, confirm that the programs you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.
Industrial Electrician Training Douglas Alaska
Selecting the right electrical trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Industrial Electrician Training and wanting more information on the topic How To Become Electrical Technician. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician tech school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Every training program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Douglas AK.
More Electric Locations in Alaska
Douglas, Juneau
The only traditional school left on Douglas is Gastineau Elementary, which serves all the Douglas Island elementary-aged students; the Douglas Public Library is part of the Juneau Public Library System. Douglas has a few restaurants and bars (The Island Pub, Louie's Douglas Inn, and The Douglas Café), a local live theater (Perseverance Theater), and a gas station. The town’s population has dropped over the years but recently is up to about 3,000 people, or close to ten percent of the City and Borough of Juneau’s population. Douglas gets its water and electricity from Juneau and has a mix of onsite and municipal (diverted to Juneau) wastewater treatment.
Douglas Island was originally a border of the Auke people’s and Taku people’s territory. It was not usually used for year-round settlement, but rather as a place to spend the summer, or at times a place for battles.
In 1880 gold was discovered in Juneau, Alaska, across the narrow Gastineau Channel, drawing in all kinds of people looking to strike it rich. In 1881 two towns sprouted up on Douglas Island: Treadwell and Douglas. Treadwell was the community for the miners, with its own entertainment, pool, and bar. Douglas, too, had businesses popping up and soon had its own school and post office. A railroad and boardwalk connected the two towns. At this time the Treadwell power plant was large enough to power the entire Treadwell area, Douglas, and Juneau. The power plant continued to serve the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine until the mine was shut down in 1944 by the War Department as non-essential to the war effort.
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