How to Select the Best Electrician Tech School near Refton Pennsylvania
The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Refton PA. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are so many factors to consider. For example, some students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their home. Once they have located a few that are within driving distance, they will decide on the one with the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that need to be evaluated. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should help mold your final decision when picking an electrician trade school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are three general approaches to receive electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Refton PA. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three alternatives. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states to be licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are brief descriptions of the three most typical programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally provided by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who wish to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take 2 years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be performed before licensing. Because of that, most students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria
Electricians in Refton PA can undertake a vast array of services, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring 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 duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but commonly around four to five years of prior experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be earned in many specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails 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 imperative that the electrician trade school that you choose not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Schools
An alternative that you might have contemplated is choosing an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online schools have become more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be attended online, distance learning can be a more convenient choice for individuals that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Driving costs from Refton PA are also minimized and some of the study materials may be available online as well. Each of these advantages can make electrician online tech schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Refton PA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we mentioned 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 chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are other factors that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to enrolling in an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can attain Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Refton PA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you get an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A lower completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It might also indicate that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Refton PA graduates acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician contractors or labor unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with Refton PA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Refton PA electrical company if they can give you some tips. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Refton home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Talk to some of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Refton PA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Accredited Electrical Certification Schools Refton Pennsylvania
Choosing the ideal electrician 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 Accredited Electrical Certification Schools and wanting more information on the topic Electrician Schooling Requirements. But as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrical training program that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Refton PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County locally /ˈlæŋkəstər/, (Pennsylvania German: Lengeschder Kaundi) sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the south central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[1] As of the 2010 census, the population was 519,445.[2] Its county seat is Lancaster.[3]
The County of Lancaster is a popular tourist destination, with its Amish community a major attraction. The "Dutch" of Pennsylvania Dutch is the English form of Düütsch, the Low German cognate of Standard German Deutsch and Pennsylvania Dutch Deitsch. (Historically, the terms "German" and "Dutch" were used interchangeably to describe all of the Germanic peoples living within the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire.) The ancestors of the Amish began to immigrate to colonial Pennsylvania in the early 18th century to take advantage of the religious freedom offered by William Penn.[4] They were also attracted by the area's rich soil and mild climate.[5] Also attracted to promises of religious freedom, French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution settled this area in 1710.[6][7] There were also significant numbers of English, Welsh and Ulster Scots (also known as the Scotch-Irish in the colonies).
The area that became Lancaster County was part of William Penn's 1681 charter.[8] John Kennerly received the first recorded deed from Penn in 1691.[9] Although Matthias Kreider was said to have been in the area as early as 1691, there is no evidence that any Europeans settled in Lancaster County before 1710.[10]
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