How to Pick the Best Electrician Trade School near Rapid City South Dakota
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Rapid City SD. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are so many factors to examine. For example, many students will commence by searching for schools that are nearby their home. After they have located several that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the sole qualifications that should be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate judgment when selecting an electrician training 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 choices that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options
There are three general ways to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Rapid City SD. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states to become licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Bellow are short summaries of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically provided by South Dakota technical and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards students who wish to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take two years to complete and are offered by South Dakota community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at some South Dakota colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be completed before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Rapid City SD 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 concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally around four to five years of practical experience is required in order to take the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to 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 differ by state and can be earned in many specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves 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 important that the electrician trade school that you pick not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online
A possibility that you may have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. While online training programs are becoming more prevalent as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, distance learning might be a more accommodating choice for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus many online training programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling costs from Rapid City SD are also minimized and some of the study materials can be accessed online also. Each of these advantages can make electrician online trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
When you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Rapid City SD region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The first 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other variables that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to research before choosing an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Rapid City SD program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you obtain a quality education, it can assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to qualify 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 complete the course. A lower completion rate could signify that students were disappointed with the course and dropped out. It might also indicate that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Rapid City SD graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician vocational programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Rapid City SD area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Rapid City SD electrical contractor if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Rapid City home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to a few of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Rapid City SD, check that the programs you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.
School Electrician Rapid City South Dakota
Choosing the right electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in School Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Train To Become A Electrician. But as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the training programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrician training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Rapid City SD.
More Electric Locations in South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County.[7] Named after Rapid Creek, on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census.[8]
Known as the "Gateway to the Black Hills" due to its location and the "City of Presidents" because of the life-size bronze president statues located downtown. Rapid City is split by a low mountain ridge that divides the western and eastern parts of the city. Ellsworth Air Force Base is located on the outskirts of the city. Camp Rapid, a part of the South Dakota Army National Guard, is located in the western part of the city. Rapid City is home to popular attractions like Art Alley, Dinosaur Park, the City of Presidents walking tour, Chapel in the Hills, Storybook Island, Main Street Square and more. The historic "Old West" town of Deadwood is nearby. In the neighboring Black Hills are the popular tourist attractions of Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, the museum at the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, and to the east of the city is Badlands National Park.
The public discovery of gold in 1874 by the Black Hills Expedition brought a mass influx of settlers into the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Rapid City was founded, and originally known as "Hay Camp", in 1876 by a group of disappointed miners, who promoted their new city as the "Gateway to the Black Hills", a nickname the city now shares with neighboring Box Elder. John Richard Brennan and Samuel Scott, with a small group of men, laid out the site of the present Rapid City in February 1876, which was named for the spring-fed Rapid Creek that flows through it. A square mile was measured off and the six blocks in the center were designated as a business section. Committees were appointed to bring in prospective merchants and their families to locate in the new settlement. The city soon began selling supplies to miners and pioneers. Its location on the edge of the Plains and Hills and its large river valley made it the natural hub of railroads arriving in the late 1880s from both the south and east. By 1900, Rapid City had survived a boom and bust and was establishing itself as an important regional trade center for the upper midwest.
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