How to Find the Right Electrician Tech School near Greer South Carolina
The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Greer SC. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are so many factors to examine. For instance, many students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. Once they have identified a few that are within driving distance, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the only factors that should be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your final judgment when picking an electrician school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational choices that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are three general options to get electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Greer SC. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Often these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the 3 most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by South Carolina vocational and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards those who would like to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees involve 2 years to finish and are offered by South Carolina community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some South Carolina colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria
Electricians in Greer SC can undertake a multitude of duties, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about four to five years of practical experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams usually assess general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be obtained in various specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician trade school that you select not only provides a strong academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might be required to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Programs
A possibility that you might have considered is selecting an electrician online program to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require some attendance on-campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning can be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Commuting expenses from Greer SC are also lessened and a portion of the study materials may be accessed online as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online trade schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools
Now that you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Greer SC area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each school must meet. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. 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 other variables that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Many electrician trade schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Greer SC school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a superior education, it can assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, many states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify 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 might indicate that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It could also signify that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, which can produce more contacts for the school to use 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 additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Greer SC grads secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician contractors or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with Greer SC area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also provides employment 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 trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Greer SC electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Greer residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there may be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much individualized 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 several of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Greer SC, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family issues.
Electrical Vocational School Greer South Carolina
Picking the best electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrical Vocational School and wanting more information on the topic Electrician Schools Online. But as we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical tech school that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Greer SC.
More Electric Locations in South Carolina
Greer, South Carolina
Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 25,515 as of the 2010 census[4] and had risen to an estimated 30,899 as of 2017[1]. The eastern part of the city is in Spartanburg County, while the bulk of the city is in Greenville County. It is part of the Greenville–Anderson–Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is additionally part of the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area in Upstate South Carolina.
Greer is adjacent to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), which serves Greenville, Spartanburg, and the Upstate. Greer is also the site of the only BMW manufacturing facility in North America. According to a June 2005 article in The Greenville News, BMW's Greer plant employs about 9,000 people, and has attracted dozens of suppliers in South Carolina, providing jobs for more than 12,000 people. Greer is home to the South Carolina Inland Port, an intermodal facility that receives and sends containers by rail to the Port of Charleston.
Greer is located at 34°55′49″N 82°13′30″W / 34.93028°N 82.22500°W / 34.93028; -82.22500 (34.930304, −82.225052).[5] It is 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Greenville and 17 miles (27 km) west of Greer, both via U.S. Route 29.
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