How to Select the Best Electrician Training School near Shippensburg Pennsylvania
The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Shippensburg PA. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, some students will commence by searching for schools that are close to their residence. When they have found a few that are within driving range, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the sole qualifications that must be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final decision when selecting an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are accessible.
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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options
There are three general options to obtain electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Shippensburg PA. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Following are brief summaries of the 3 most typical programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Pennsylvania trade and technical schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take 2 years to complete and are provided by Pennsylvania community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at certain Pennsylvania institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be completed before licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Shippensburg PA can perform a vast array of duties, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be obtained in various 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 tech school that you choose not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
A possibility that you may have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online training programs have become more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, distance learning might be a more practical alternative for students that have limited time for education. And as a bonus many online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Commuting expenses from Shippensburg PA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
What to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Now that you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Shippensburg PA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are additional variables that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to choosing an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make certain that the Shippensburg PA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you get an excellent education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, some states require 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 course. A low completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the course and dropped out. It may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to use 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 trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Shippensburg PA students secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Shippensburg PA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form 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 working with on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Shippensburg PA electrical contractor if they can give you some suggestions. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Shippensburg home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how large they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to several of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Shippensburg PA, check that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Be An Electrician Shippensburg Pennsylvania
Picking the right electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Be An Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Good Electrician Schools. But as we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrical tech school that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak 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 school you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Shippensburg PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
Shippensburg is a borough in Cumberland and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Settled in 1730, Shippensburg lies in the Cumberland Valley, 41 miles (66 km) southwest of Harrisburg, and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,492 at the 2010 census.[5] Of this, 4,416 were in Cumberland County, and 1,076 were in Franklin County.
Shippensburg was incorporated as a borough on January 21, 1819. In the past, there were furniture factories, engine and pump works, and other industrial works located within the town. Shippensburg is the home of the Beistle Company, the oldest and largest manufacturer of decorations and party goods, which sells its distinctive honeycomb paper decorations worldwide. It is also the location of Pague and Fegan, the oldest continuously operated hardware store in Pennsylvania. In May 2012, Volvo Construction Equipment began a $100 million expansion project to bring its American headquarters to Shippensburg.[6]
Shippensburg is the oldest community of the Cumberland Valley, and the second oldest west of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania (after York to the east). In July 1730, 12 Scots-Irish families came to the site of the present-day Shippensburg and built cabin homes along Burd's Run. Shippensburg began as the western outpost of colonial settlement.
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