How to Choose the Best Electrician Technical School near Crozet Virginia
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Crozet VA. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are so many factors to consider. For instance, many potential students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their home. Once they have located a few that are within commuting distance, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that need to be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your ultimate decision when picking an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are available.
Click Here to Get Free Information on Electrician Schools Near You!
Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options
There are multiple options to receive electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Crozet VA. You can select a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Often these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are brief explanations of the three most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Virginia technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards students who wish to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to complete and are offered by Virginia junior or 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 earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Virginia colleges, but are less popular at four years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites
Electricians in Crozet VA can undertake a multitude of duties, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in most municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly assess general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be acquired in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases includes 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician trade school that you select not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Programs Online
An alternative that you may have looked at is choosing an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. While online training programs are becoming more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning may be a more convenient option for students that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Travelling costs from Crozet VA are also minimized and some of the study materials may be accessed online also. All of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Now that you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your school options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Crozet VA area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The first two that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional factors that must be considered also. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to selecting an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive 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 Crozet VA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you get a superior education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, many states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate could indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It might also signify that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have higher 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 use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Crozet VA graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught together 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 contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with Crozet VA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Crozet VA electrical company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Crozet home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some 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 programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Crozet VA, verify that the programs you are considering offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.
Qualified Electrician Courses Crozet Virginia
Picking the right electrician trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Qualified Electrician Courses and wanting more information on the topic Become A Certified Electrician. 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 looking at. It’s a must that any electrician training program that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program provides unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Crozet VA.
More Electric Locations in Virginia
Crozet, Virginia
Crozet /ˌkroʊˈzeɪ/ is a census-designated place (CDP) in Albemarle County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is situated along the I-64 corridor approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Charlottesville and 21 miles (34 km) east of Staunton. Originally called "Wayland's Crossing," it was renamed in 1870 in honor of Colonel Claudius Crozet, the French-born civil engineer who directed the construction of the Blue Ridge Tunnel. The population was 5,565 at the 2010 census.
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 5,565 people, 2,119 households, and 1,522 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,504.1 people per square mile (573.7/km²). There were 2,229 housing units at an average density of 602.4/sq mi (229.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.2% White, 4.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.
There were 2,119 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.15.
Business Results 1 - 10 of 18
1 Reviews 
4 Reviews 
23 Reviews 
11 Reviews 
2 Reviews 
4 Reviews 1 Reviews 
7 Reviews 2 Reviews 1 Reviews 