How to Choose the Right Electrician Training School near Livermore Falls Maine
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Livermore Falls ME. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are so many variables to evaluate. For example, many students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their home. When they have located a few that are within commuting range, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. While location and cost are of importance, they are not the sole things that must be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional options that are available.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs
There are multiple options to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Livermore Falls ME. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as common as the other three options. Often these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by the majority of states to become licensed or if you want to become certified. Bellow are short descriptions of the 3 most common programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Maine technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards those who would like to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take two years to finish and are provided by Maine junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at some Maine institutions, but are less popular at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be performed prior to licensing. Because of that, the majority of students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Livermore Falls ME can undertake a wide range of functions, 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 states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally around 4 to 5 years of experience is called for in order to take the licensing exam. The exams usually assess electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as 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 offered vary by state and can be obtained in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually involves 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) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician tech school that you select not only furnishes a solid educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Programs
An alternative that you may have considered is choosing an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online training programs have become more popular as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, distance learning might be a more convenient alternative for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Commuting costs from Livermore Falls ME are also minimized and some of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools
Once you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Because there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Livermore Falls ME area, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are other factors that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to choosing an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have acquired 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 a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the Livermore Falls ME program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you acquire a quality education, it can assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, many states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it to be approved 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 or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate may signify that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It may also signify that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which may produce more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Livermore Falls ME students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have working relationships with Livermore Falls ME area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Livermore Falls ME electrical contracting company if they can provide some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Livermore Falls residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk with some of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Livermore Falls ME, confirm that the programs you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.
Top Electrician Schools Livermore Falls Maine
Choosing the ideal electrical trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Top Electrician Schools and wanting more information on the topic Become An Electrician. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any electrical training program that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each training program offers unique options for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend a few classes. Tour 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, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Livermore Falls ME.
More Electric Locations in Maine
Livermore Falls, Maine
Livermore Falls is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,187 at the 2010 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area. High school students in Livermore Falls attend Spruce Mountain High School.
The area was once part of the Abenaki Indian territory called Rockemeka, meaning "great corn place." It would be granted by the General Court of Massachusetts in 1871 as Port Royal, awarded to heirs of veterans who served in the campaign against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.[4] It was settled in 1886, then incorporated in 1895 as Livermore after Deacon Elijah Livermore, one of the first English settlers. The county line, determined by the Androscoggin River, divided the town. West of the river was Oxford County, and east was Kennebec County. Consequently, East Livermore (which encompassed a quarter of the original Port Royal grant) was set off and incorporated on March 1, 1844. It became part of Androscoggin County on March 31, 1854. In 1930, East Livermore was renamed Livermore Falls.[5]
In the early 19th century, the region was predominantly farmland, with apple orchards and dairies supplying markets at Boston and Portland. It was noted for fine cattle. As the century progressed, gristmills, sawmills, logging and lumber became important industries, operated by water power from falls that drop 14 feet. With the arrival of the Androscoggin Railroad in 1852, Livermore Falls developed as a small mill town. Shoe factories and paper mills were established, including the Umbagog Pulp Company started by Hugh J. Chisholm. In 1897, the Third Bridge was built across the Androscoggin. It measured 800 feet in length, at that time the longest single-span bridge in New England.[6]
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