How to Find the Best Electrician Tech School near Hawley Pennsylvania
The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Hawley PA. But with numerous vocational schools to pick from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly because there are so many variables to consider. For instance, some students will commence by looking for schools that are close to their residence. After they have located some that are within commuting range, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the sole factors that should be considered. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your ultimate decision when picking an electrician trade school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs
There are three general options to receive electrician training in a trade or technical school near Hawley PA. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are short descriptions of the 3 most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually provided by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards those who want to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to complete and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Hawley PA can perform a multitude of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally around four to five years of prior experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams commonly test general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in many specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you choose not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Programs
An alternative that you might have considered is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online schools are becoming more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not entirely 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, distance learning can be a more practical choice 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. Travelling costs from Hawley PA are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available online also. All of these advantages can make electrician online trade schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Once you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to focus your school options. Since there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Hawley PA area, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The initial 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional variables that need to be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to research before choosing an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician trade schools have received 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, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Hawley PA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you obtain a superior education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may signify that students were disappointed with the course and quit. It may also signify that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which may produce 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 a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Hawley PA grads secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with Hawley PA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Hawley PA electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Hawley home. 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 important that you receive as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in larger 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 teachers. Speak to a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Hawley PA, confirm that the programs you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.
Online Industrial Electrical Training Hawley Pennsylvania
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 Online Industrial Electrical Training and wanting more information on the topic Becoming An Electrician. But as we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any electrician tech school that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every training program offers different options for certification as well. 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 sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Hawley PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Hawley, Pennsylvania
The borough was named for Irad Hawley, first president of the Pennsylvania Coal Company. Early industry centered on the transportation and support of nearby coal mining operations along with manufacturing facilities. The Bellemonte Silk Mill, regarded as the largest bluestone building in the world, and J.S. O'Connor American Rich Cut Glassware Factory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4][5]
Hawley is located where Middle Creek enters the Lackawaxen River, at 41°28′42″N 75°10′45″W / 41.47833°N 75.17917°W / 41.47833; -75.17917 (41.478225, -75.179154)[14] at an elevation of 1,033 feet (314.9 m).[15] Hawley students attend Wallenpaupack Areas Schools, with high, middle, and primary schools approximately five miles from town and located on the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack. Some kindergarten children attended school in the former Hawley High School, a WPA project and located in the borough, up until a few years ago when they were transferred back to the primary school.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), of which, 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (3.12%) is water.
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