How to Select the Right Electrician Vocational School near Methuen Massachusetts
The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Methuen MA. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are a number of points to examine. For instance, many students will start by searching for schools that are close to their home. After they have identified several that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though location and cost are significant, they are not the only factors that must be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final decision when selecting an electrician training school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are accessible.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs
There are three general options to get electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Methuen MA. You can choose a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three options. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Bellow are short explanations of the 3 most typical programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Massachusetts vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards individuals who wish to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take two years to finish and are offered by Massachusetts community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Massachusetts colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites
Electricians in Methuen MA can carry out a wide range of functions, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly around four to five years of experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional way for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be obtained in many specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves 3 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician tech school that you enroll in not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may need to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Training Classes
An alternative that you might have considered is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools are becoming more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require some attendance on-campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, internet learning may be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Commuting expenses from Methuen MA are also lessened and some of the study materials may be available online also. Each of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Once you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to focus your training options. Since there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Methuen MA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The initial two that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are additional factors that must be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician vocational schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Methuen MA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you acquire a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A lower completion rate might signify that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It may also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Methuen MA grads secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician vocational programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician businesses or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Methuen MA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Methuen MA electrical contracting company if they can give you some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Methuen home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there can be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with some of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Methuen MA, check that the programs you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family issues.
Train As Electrician Methuen Massachusetts
Selecting the right electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Train As Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Electrical Training School. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical tech school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Methuen MA.
More Electric Locations in Massachusetts
Methuen, Massachusetts
Methuen /mɛˈθuːɛn/ is a statutory city[2] and an Atlantic resort town[citation needed] in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 47,255 at the 2010 census.[3] Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of Rockingham County, New Hampshire. The irregularly-shaped town is bordered by Haverhill to the northeast, North Andover to the east, Lawrence and Andover to the south, Dracut (Middlesex County) to the west, Pelham, New Hampshire (Hillsborough County) to the northwest, and Salem, New Hampshire (Rockingham County) to the north. Methuen is located 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of Boston and 25 miles (40 km) south-southeast of Manchester, New Hampshire.
Methuen was first settled in 1642 and was officially incorporated in 1726. Methuen was originally part of Haverhill, Massachusetts. In 1724 Stephen Barker and others in the western part of that town petitioned the General Court to grant them permission to form a new town above Hawke's Meadow Brook. Although opposed by their fellow townsmen, the petition was approved the following year (December 8, 1725), and the General Court gave them an act of incorporation under the name of Methuen. The town was named for Sir Paul Methuen, a member of the King's Privy Council and friend of acting Provincial Governor William Dummer. The first town meeting was held March 9, 1726, in the home of a resident. Land was set aside for a meetinghouse, which was erected later in 1726 on what is now Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery.[4]
The residents in the northern part of the new town of Methuen soon petitioned to have their own meetinghouse (a combination of town hall and puritan church), and in 1736 the north parish was set off. Land for a meetinghouse was donated by descendants of the original proprietors of Haverhill, and in 1738 the second Methuen meetinghouse was raised. The structure survives to this day, as the Salem N.H. Historical Society building. In 1741, with the fixing of the Northern boundary of Massachusetts, most of this new north parish was removed from Methuen and placed in New Hampshire. It was incorporated as Salem, New Hampshire in 1750.[4]
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