How to Choose the Right Electrician Trade School near Inkster Michigan
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Inkster MI. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the best one? Particularly because there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, some students will start by searching for schools that are close to their residence. When they have found some that are within commuting distance, they will choose the one with the lowest tuition. Even though location and cost are important, they are not the only factors that should be evaluated. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options
There are multiple approaches to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Inkster MI. You may choose a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Following are brief summaries of the three most common programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Michigan vocational and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who would like to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees involve two years to complete and are provided by Michigan junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Michigan colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be performed prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician License and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Inkster MI can perform a multitude of functions, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about four to five years of prior experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams usually test electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be acquired in many specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases 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) 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 furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
A possibility that you may have considered is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. While online training programs have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning may be a more convenient alternative for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Commuting costs from Inkster MI are also reduced and some of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Inkster MI region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are additional factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician trade schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire 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. Verify that the Inkster MI program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you obtain a superior education, it can assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, some states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It may also signify that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Inkster MI students acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught together 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. Check if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Inkster MI area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school 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 already in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Inkster MI electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Inkster home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can see how large they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to some of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to a few of the instructors and learn 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 meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Inkster MI, confirm that the programs you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Online Electrician Training Courses Inkster Michigan
Choosing the ideal electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Online Electrician Training Courses and wanting more information on the topic Accredited Electrician Online Programs. But as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification also. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Inkster MI.
More Electric Locations in Michigan
Inkster, Michigan
The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, but was settled by non-indigenous people in 1825. A post office named "Moulin Rouge" was established there in December 1857. Robert Inkster, a Scotsman born March 27, 1828, in Lerwick, Shetland,[7] operated a steam sawmill on present-day Inkster Road near Michigan Avenue in the early 1860s.
The post office was renamed Inkster in July 1863. The village had a station on the Michigan Central Railroad by 1878. It incorporated as a village in 1926 from parts of Nankin Township and Dearborn Township. After much legal wrangling by the city of Dearborn, Dearborn Township, and the village of Inkster to sort out final borders for these communities, Inkster was incorporated as a city in 1964.[8][9]
As a result of the police beating of Floyd Dent in January, 2015, which was caught on a police vehicle's dash cam and released to the public, the victim was awarded $1.4 million. A special assessment of Inkster residents will pay for the settlement, on their July 1, 2015 property tax bill.[11]
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