How to Select the Best Electrician Trade School near Berwick Maine
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Berwick ME. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are a number of variables to examine. For example, many students will commence by searching for schools that are nearby their home. After they have found a few that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the least expensive tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the sole qualifications that need to be considered. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate judgment when choosing an electrician trade school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are multiple ways to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Berwick ME. You may select 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. Often these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Following are short summaries of the three most typical programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Maine vocational and trade schools and require approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards students who would like to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees require 2 years to finish and are provided by Maine junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Maine institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out before licensing. Therefore, most students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Requirements
Electricians in Berwick ME can perform a vast array of tasks, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally around four to five years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be earned in various specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves three levels of proficiency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician tech school that you choose not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Programs Online
An alternative that you may have considered is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online training programs have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning can be a more practical option for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Travelling expenses from Berwick ME are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be accessed on line also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
When you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Because there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Berwick ME region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to enrolling in an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Many electrician technical schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Confirm that the Berwick ME school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you receive an excellent education, it may help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, some states mandate that the electrician training program 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 complete the course. A low completion rate may suggest that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It could also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Berwick ME graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician technical programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Berwick ME area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local 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 working with in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Berwick ME electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Berwick home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much personalized instruction 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 observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Speak with several of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Berwick ME, verify that the schools you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.
Colleges For Electricians Berwick Maine
Choosing the right electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Colleges For Electricians and wanting more information on the topic Courses For Electricians. But as we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrical training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Berwick ME.
More Electric Locations in Maine
South Berwick, Maine
South Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,220 at the 2010 census. South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy, a private, co-educational university-preparatory day school founded in 1791.
The area was called Newichawannock by the Abenaki Indians, meaning "river with many falls," a reference to the Salmon Falls River. It was first settled by Europeans about 1631 as a part of Kittery known as Kittery North Parish. Near the confluence with the Great Works River, Ambrose Gibbons built the Great House at Newichawannock, a palisaded trading post, to exchange goods with the Indians.[4]
In 1634, William Chadbourne, James Wall, and John Goddard arrived from England aboard the ship Pied Cow to build a sawmill and gristmill at Assabumbadoc Falls. The first houses built in South Berwick were built by Chadbourne and Wall. Chadbourne's house was in the northwesterly angle of Brattle Street and Dow Highway (Rt. 236).[5][6][7]Richard Leader, an engineer, rebuilt the sawmill in 1651 to handle up to 20 saws. The factory became known as the "Great mill workes," from which the Great Works River derives its name. It was run by 25 Scottish prisoners of war captured by Oliver Cromwell's forces at the 1650 Battle of Dunbar and transported aboard the Unity to North America. They were sold as indentured servants whose labor would earn them freedom. The community was dubbed the Parish of Unity after the ship.[4]
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