How to Select the Right Electrician Tech School near Bluemont Virginia
The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Bluemont VA. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are close to their residence. Once they have located some that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the only qualifications that need to be considered. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your ultimate decision when picking an electrician school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are available.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs
There are several options to get electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Bluemont VA. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Often these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Following are short summaries of the three most typical programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Virginia trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards individuals who wish to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees involve two years to complete and are offered by Virginia community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some Virginia institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be completed before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Bluemont VA can perform a wide range of duties, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally about four to five years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be obtained in several specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves 3 levels of proficiency:
- 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 imperative that the electrician tech school that you pick not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you might need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Training Classes Online
An option that you may have contemplated is selecting an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. While online training programs are becoming more prevalent as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning can be a more practical alternative for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Driving expenses from Bluemont VA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available online also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Now that you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to focus your school options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Bluemont VA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are other factors that must be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain 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. Confirm that the Bluemont VA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you acquire an excellent education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the course. A lower completion rate could signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It could also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which may produce more contacts for the school to employ 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 field, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Bluemont VA grads secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician trade programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Bluemont VA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing 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 instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Bluemont VA electrical company if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Bluemont residence. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with a few of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
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 Bluemont VA, confirm that the programs you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.
Online Classes For Electrician Bluemont Virginia
Selecting the right electrician training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Online Classes For Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Industrial Electrician Courses Online. But as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides different options for certification as well. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Bluemont VA.
More Electric Locations in Virginia
Bluemont, Virginia
Bluemont is an unincorporated community in Loudoun County, Virginia located at the base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain. As of 2010, the Bluemont postal area had a population of 2,834. At 680 feet (210 m), it is the highest community in Loudoun County. Originally named Snickersville, Bluemont changed its name to attract Washingtonians out to it when a predecessor of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was extended to the town from Round Hill. It is located on Virginia Route 7 just west of the incorporated town of Round Hill. Every fall it is home to the Bluemont Fair.
A nearby landmark is Mount Weather, an operations and training facility above ground for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is rumored to contain an underground facility designed to house or replace the American government in the case of nuclear warfare.
The settlement of the area that is now Bluemont began in the 1770s when a connection was made between the old Winchester Pike, which led from Loudoun to Winchester via Keyes' (Vestals) Gap, and the Colchester Road which ran from the port of Colchester to Winchester via Snickers Gap (named after Edward Snickers, who operated a ferry across the nearby Shenandoah River).[1]
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