How to Select the Best Electrician Training School near Slatington Pennsylvania
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Slatington PA. But with so many vocational schools to choose from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are a number of variables to examine. For example, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. When they have identified several that are within commuting range, they will decide on the one with the cheapest tuition. Even though location and cost are important, they are not the only factors that need to be considered. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should influence your ultimate judgment when choosing an electrician trade school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this article. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options
There are multiple approaches to get electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Slatington PA. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three alternatives. In many cases these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to become licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most typical programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards students who would like to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve two years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be completed prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician License and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Slatington PA can carry out a wide range of services, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for in order to take the licensing exam. The exams usually evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional means for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be earned in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually involves three levels of proficiency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you pick 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
An alternative that you might have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online program to earn a certificate or degree. Although online training programs have become more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning may be a more practical choice for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Driving expenses from Slatington PA are also minimized and some of the study materials may be available on line as well. Each of these benefits can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Once you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Since there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Slatington PA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The first 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are other factors that must be taken into account also. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze before selecting an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have earned 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, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Slatington PA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you acquire a quality education, it can help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited schools. Also, a number of states require that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify 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 program. A low completion rate could signify that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Slatington PA students secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician trade programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with Slatington 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 form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Slatington PA electrical contracting company if they can provide some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Slatington residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to several of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Slatington PA, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Colleges For Electricians Slatington Pennsylvania
Picking the ideal electrical training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Colleges For Electricians and wanting more information on the topic Courses For Electricians. But as we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each training program offers unique options for certification as well. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Slatington PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Slatington, Pennsylvania
Slatington is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is located 20 miles north of Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is 62 miles south of Scranton, and 70 miles north of Philadelphia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), of which 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (4.35%) is water.
Slatington's elevation is 738 feet above sea level. Slatington's elevation varies from 330 feet at the Lehigh River on the east side of town to 750 feet by the Union Cemetery on Route 873 to the south.
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