How to Choose the Right Electrician Vocational School near Athens Ohio
The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Athens OH. But with so many vocational schools to pick from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, some students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. After they have found some that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. While cost and location are of importance, they are not the only things that must be considered. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your ultimate decision when selecting an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are several ways to obtain electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Athens OH. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Following are short descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally provided by Ohio trade and technical schools and take about a year to finish. They furnish a solid foundation and are geared towards students who wish to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take 2 years to finish and are provided by Ohio junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at certain Ohio colleges, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be completed prior to licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Athens OH can carry out a vast array of duties, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically test electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in various specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually includes 3 levels of competency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying organizations 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 vocational school that you enroll in not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might be required to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online
An option that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an electrician online program to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online schools have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning might be a more convenient option for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Travelling expenses from Athens OH are also reduced and a portion of the study materials may be available on line as well. All of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools
When you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Considering that there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Athens OH area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about 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 final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are other variables that must be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Athens OH school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a superior education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Also, many states require 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 of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate may suggest that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It might also mean that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also important 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 use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Athens OH students obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Athens OH area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus 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, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Athens OH electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you can move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Athens residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized instruction 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 observe how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with several of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to a few of the teachers 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 are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Athens OH, confirm that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Electrician Courses Night School Athens Ohio
Picking the right electrical trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrician Courses Night School and wanting more information on the topic Trade School Electrician. But as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Athens OH.
More Electric Locations in Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is a city in and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio, United States. Athens is most widely known as the home of Ohio University, a large public research university with an enrollment of more than 36,800 students across all campuses. Located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Columbus, Athens is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. The official population of Athens in the 2010 U.S. Census was 23,832, with a daytime population of over 40,000 [6]
Athens is located in what was once the eastern region of two major Native American mound-building groups, the Adena culture from c. 1000 BC to 200 AD and the Ohio Hopewell tradition, c. 300 BC to 700 AD.[8][9] By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Shawnee, an Algonquian tribe, were the primary tribe of Native Americans living in what would become Athens County. According to a 1794 map by Thomas Kitchin, no settlement existed in the Athens area during the time immediately prior to the founding of the city.[10]
The first permanent European settlers arrived in Athens in 1797, more than a decade after the United States victory in the American Revolutionary War. In 1800, the town site was first surveyed and plotted, but it was not incorporated as a village until 1811. In the meantime, Ohio had become a state in 1803. Ohio University was chartered in 1804, the first public institution of higher learning in the Northwest Territory. Previously part of Washington County, Ohio, Athens County was formed in 1805, named for the ancient center of learning, Athens, Greece. Ohio University in Athens was established with the first federal endowment of an educational institution in the United States. In July 1787, the Congress of the Confederation gave to the Ohio Company of Associates "two townships of good land for the support of a literary institution" in the newly created Northwest Territory.[11] During The First Session of the Second Territorial General Assembly, held in Chillicothe from November 23, 1801 to January 23, 1802, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the "American Western University" at Athens. The act was approved by Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory on January 9, 1802.[12] However, no university with the name of American Western University would be established. Ohio became a state in 1803 and on February 18, 1804, the state legislature passed an act establishing the "Ohio University" in the town of Athens.[13] Athens received city status in 1912, following the 1910 census showing the population had passed 5,000 residents, the requirement for city status in Ohio.
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