How to Select the Right Electrician Trade School near Jones Mills Pennsylvania
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Jones Mills PA. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are so many points to consider. For instance, many potential students will commence by looking for schools that are nearby their home. When they have located several that are within commuting range, they will choose the one with the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are significant, they are not the sole things that should be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your final judgment when selecting an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training choices that are offered.
Click Here to Get Free Information on Electrician Schools Near You!
Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are three general ways to obtain electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Jones Mills PA. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered together with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states in order to be licensed or if you wish to become certified. Following are short explanations of the 3 most prevalent programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees require two years to complete and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at some Pennsylvania institutions, but are less popular at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four 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 Certification and Licensing Prerequisites
Electricians in Jones Mills PA can carry out a vast array of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams usually evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in numerous specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves three 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 crucial that the electrician vocational school that you select not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Training Classes Online
An option that you may have considered is choosing an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, distance learning can be a more practical choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Jones Mills PA are also minimized and some of the study materials can be available online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools
Once you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Jones Mills PA area, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The initial 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to enrolling in an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make certain that the Jones Mills PA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you obtain an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, some states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the course. A lower completion rate may indicate that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to utilize 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 trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Jones Mills PA students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical 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 working relationships with Jones Mills PA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain 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 presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Jones Mills PA electrical company if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Jones Mills residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Speak with several of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with some of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Jones Mills PA, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family emergencies.
Electrician Education Requirements Jones Mills Pennsylvania
Choosing the right electrical training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrician Education Requirements and wanting more information on the topic Electricians Training. But as we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrical training that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length 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 possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Jones Mills PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Mary Harris Jones
Mary G. Harris Jones (baptized 1837;[1][2] died 1930), known as Mother Jones, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent organized labor representative, community organizer, and activist. She helped coordinate major strikes and co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World.
Jones worked as a teacher and dressmaker, but after her husband and four children all died of yellow fever in 1867 and her dress shop was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, she became an organizer for the Knights of Labor and the United Mine Workers union. From 1897 onwards, she was known as Mother Jones. In 1902, she was called "the most dangerous woman in America" for her success in organizing mine workers and their families against the mine owners. In 1903, to protest the lax enforcement of the child labor laws in the Pennsylvania mines and silk mills, she organized a children's march from Philadelphia to the home of President Theodore Roosevelt in New York.
Mary G. Harris was born on the north side of the city of Cork, Ireland, the daughter of Roman Catholic tenant farmers Richard Harris and Ellen (née Cotter) Harris.[3] Her exact date of birth is uncertain; she was baptized on 1 August 1837.[1] Mary Harris and her family were victims of the Great Famine, as were many other Irish families. This famine drove more than a million families, including the Harrises, to emigrate to North America when Mary was ten years old.[4]
Business Results 1 - 10 of 14
1 Reviews 2 Reviews 
1 Reviews 
1 Reviews 
2 Reviews 
1 Reviews 
1 Reviews 
1 Reviews 1 Reviews 
2 Reviews 