How to Enroll in the Best Electrician Trade School near Kendallville Indiana
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Kendallville IN. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are a number of points to evaluate. For instance, some potential students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have located several that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are of importance, they are not the sole things that should be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your ultimate decision when picking an electrician training school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional options that are available.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are three general ways to receive electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Kendallville IN. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Bellow are brief explanations of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Indiana trade and technical schools and require about a year to finish. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require two years to finish and are offered by Indiana community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at some Indiana colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be performed before licensing. Therefore, most students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Kendallville IN can perform a vast array of duties, 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 become licensed in most municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but usually around 4 to 5 years of practical experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional means for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be obtained in several specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure 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 important that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only delivers a strong academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools
A possibility that you may have contemplated is selecting an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online schools have become more popular as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes can be attended online, internet learning can be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit many online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Kendallville IN are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be accessed on line also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online trade schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.
What to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Now that you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to focus your school options. Because there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Kendallville IN region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to enrolling in an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician vocational schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Kendallville IN school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you acquire a superior education, it can help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, a number of states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate may indicate that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which may produce more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Kendallville IN grads obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician trade programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have working partnerships with Kendallville IN area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Kendallville IN electrical contractor if they can give you some pointers. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Kendallville residence. Remember 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 get as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Kendallville IN, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.
Best Electrician Schools Kendallville Indiana
Choosing the right electrical trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Best Electrician Schools and wanting more information on the topic How Many Years Of College To Be An Electrician. But as we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical tech school that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every training program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to visit 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 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 Kendallville IN.
More Electric Locations in Indiana
Kendallville, Indiana
According to the 2010 census, Kendallville has a total area of 6.264 square miles (16.22 km2), of which 6.04 square miles (15.64 km2) (or 96.42%) is land and 0.224 square miles (0.58 km2) (or 3.58%) is water.[11]
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 9,862 people, 3,940 households, and 2,483 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,630.1 inhabitants per square mile (629.4/km2). There were 4,382 housing units at an average density of 724.3 per square mile (279.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.1% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 2.9% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population.
There were 3,940 households of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06.
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