How to Choose the Right Electrician Trade School near New Bethlehem Pennsylvania
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near New Bethlehem PA. But with numerous vocational schools to pick from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are a number of points to consider. For example, many students will begin by searching for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have identified several that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the sole factors that must be evaluated. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should contribute toward your final judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options
There are several options to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near New Bethlehem PA. You may select 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 offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states to become licensed or if you intend to become certified. Bellow are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be completed prior to licensing. Therefore, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in New Bethlehem PA can perform a wide range of functions, including testing, installing and replacing 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 become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams commonly evaluate 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 distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and can be earned in various specialties, including 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 agencies include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician trade school that you choose not only provides a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools
A possibility that you might have looked at is selecting an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Although online training programs have become more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning can be a more convenient alternative for students that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Travelling costs from New Bethlehem PA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials may be accessed online also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Now that you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Since there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the New Bethlehem PA area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And while 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 additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to choosing an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician trade schools have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the New Bethlehem PA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you get a superior education, it may help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Also, many states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved 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 percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may signify that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It could also signify that the instructors were not competent 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 list of graduates, which can result in 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 an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist New Bethlehem PA students secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have working partnerships with New Bethlehem PA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local New Bethlehem PA electrical company if they can give you some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your New Bethlehem home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much personalized 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 see how large they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near New Bethlehem PA, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.
Electrical Technician Training New Bethlehem Pennsylvania
Selecting the best electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrical Technician Training and wanting more information on the topic Colleges That Offer Electrician Programs. But as we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the training programs you are considering. It’s a must that any electrical training that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you select is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in New Bethlehem PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, and Scranton.[4] Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County, and 19,343 were in Lehigh County.
Bethlehem lies in the center of the Lehigh Valley, a region of 731 sq mi (1,890 km2) that is home to more than 800,000 people. Together with Allentown and Easton, the Valley embraces the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area, including Lehigh, Northampton, and Carbon counties within Pennsylvania, and Warren County in the adjacent state of New Jersey. Smaller than Allentown but larger than Easton, Bethlehem is the Lehigh Valley's second most populous city. In turn, this metropolitan area comprises Pennsylvania's third-largest metropolitan area and the state's largest and most populous contribution to the greater New York City metropolitan area.
There are four general sections of the city: central Bethlehem, the south side, the east side, and the west side. Each of these sections blossomed at different times in the city's development and each contains areas recognized under the National Register of Historic Places. ZIP codes that use the address Bethlehem totaled 116,000 in population in the year 2000. These ZIP codes include Bethlehem Township and Hanover Township.
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