How to Pick the Right Electrician Trade School near Sebago Lake Maine
The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Sebago Lake ME. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are so many variables to examine. For instance, some students will commence by searching for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have found some that are within driving distance, they will choose the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the only factors that should be evaluated. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your ultimate judgment when picking an electrician training school. We will cover that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Programs
There are multiple approaches to get electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Sebago Lake ME. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Bellow are short descriptions of the 3 most prevalent programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally provided by Maine vocational and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards students who would like to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take two years to finish and are offered by Maine community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Maine institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed prior to licensing. Therefore, most students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria
Electricians in Sebago Lake ME can perform a vast array of functions, 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 become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally around four to five years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be earned in various specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician tech school that you enroll in not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Programs
A possibility that you might have looked at is choosing an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools are becoming more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, internet learning can be a more practical alternative for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Commuting expenses from Sebago Lake ME are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available on line as well. All of these advantages can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Once you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Since there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Sebago Lake ME region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are additional variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician technical schools have attained 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 pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Sebago Lake ME program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you get a superior education, it can assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available 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 percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate might signify that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It may also mean that the teachers were not competent 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 directory of graduates, which may mean 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 trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Sebago Lake ME grads acquire apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician technical programs are taught together 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 electrical contractors or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Sebago Lake ME area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by providing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed 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, check with the electrical specialist you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Sebago Lake ME electrical company if they can provide some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Sebago Lake home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Speak to several of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Sebago Lake ME, check that the schools you are comparing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.
Best Online Electrician School Sebago Lake Maine
Choosing the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Best Online Electrician School and wanting more information on the topic How To Become A Licensed Electrician. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician tech school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Sebago Lake ME.
More Electric Locations in Maine
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is 316 feet (96 m) deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of 101 feet (31 m), covers about 45 square miles (117 km2) in surface area, has a length of 12 miles (19 km) and a shoreline length of 105 miles (169 km).[2] The surface is around 270 feet (82 m) above sea level, so the deep bottom is below the present sea level.[3] It is in Cumberland County, Maine, and bordered by the towns of Casco, Naples, Raymond, Sebago, Standish and Windham. The seasonally occupied town of Frye Island is on an island in the lake.[4]
The lake is connected to Brandy Pond by the Songo River and eventually to Long Lake in Naples. The name comes from a local Native American tribe. The lake is drained primarily by the Presumpscot River. The lake and rivers were an early transportation corridor from the coast to the interior, and encouraged the first incorporated European settlement of interior Maine in 1762.[5] Sebago Lake was linked to Portland harbor by the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in 1832. The outlet to the Presumpscot River was controlled for the canal by the Eel Weir Dam and the Head Dam, owned and operated by the Oriental Powder Company after the canal was replaced by a railroad[6] and by the S. D. Warren Paper Mill after 1878.[2][7]
The lake was a comparatively safe place for training military pilots from NAS Brunswick about flying over water; but several navy planes were lost over the lake during World War II. A Grumman TBF Avenger from the Lewiston Naval Auxiliary Air Facility ditched and sank near Raymond on 16 August 1943. Two low-flying British Vought Corsairs from Brunswick were lost after a mid-air collision over the lake near Raymond on 16 May 1944; and a third Corsair flew into the lake on July 16.[8] In December 2014 the first Sebago Lake beach landing in the history of the world was made by a yellow Supercub.
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