How to Pick the Right Electrician Trade School near Lena Illinois
The first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Lena IL. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are a number of points to evaluate. For instance, many students will commence by looking for schools that are close to their home. After they have found a few that are within commuting range, they will decide on the one with the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the sole factors that should be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your ultimate decision when choosing an electrician training school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the training choices that are available.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs
There are several approaches to receive electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Lena IL. You can choose a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states to become licensed or if you would like to become certified. Following are short summaries of the 3 most prevalent programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Illinois technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards students who wish to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take two years to complete and are provided by Illinois junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Illinois colleges, but are less popular at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be carried out before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Lena IL can carry out a wide range of duties, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in most states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams usually test electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be obtained in many specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually entails three 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) as well as 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 academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online
An alternative that you may have looked at is selecting an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more popular as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning may be a more accommodating alternative for students that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit many online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Commuting costs from Lena IL are also minimized and some of the study materials may be accessed online also. All of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Now that you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Since there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Lena IL area, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The initial 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are additional variables that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to assess prior to choosing an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Lena IL school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you get an excellent education, it may help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs 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 signify that students were disappointed with the course and dropped out. It may also indicate that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Lena IL grads obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician contractors or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Lena IL area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Lena IL electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Lena residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Lena IL, confirm that the programs you are comparing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.
How To Learn To Be An Electrician Lena Illinois
Selecting the best electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in How To Learn To Be An Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Electrician Education. But as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Lena IL.
More Electric Locations in Illinois
Lena, Illinois
In 1853, a railroad survey by B. Dornblazer determined a course through present-day Lena. Samuel F. Dodds, who owned 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land in the area, purchased an additional tract of 80 acres (320,000 m2) on behalf of the railroad company and grading work was begun. Dodds owned a stone residence which still occupies Lot No. 1 on Lena Street, while Dr. F. Voightheld owned a log home (which has subsequently been demolished) near the train depot. At the time, these two buildings made up the extent of the town.
The town was originally shaped as a parallelogram covering twenty-six blocks for a total of 304 housing lots. During the summer of 1853, lots sold rapidly, commanding prices varying from $50 to $150 each. On New Year's Day 1854, track was laid, and railway cars began running between Freeport and Warren. The population began to grow, mostly with English and Irish residents. In 1854, there were about a dozen families in Lena.
During the summer of 1855, Reber & Cheney and Dodds erected a three-story brick building at the corner of Railroad and Schuyler streets. It was completed in the fall of 1856 at a cost of about $4,000. The building is still used by local businesses. The Panic of 1857 had little effect on the growth of the town, and rapid expansion continued through 1860.
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