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How to Choose the Best Electrician Technical School near Hartwood Virginia

Hartwood VA electrician working on circuit board The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Hartwood VA. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are a number of points to consider. For instance, many potential students will start by searching for schools that are close to their residence. After they have identified several that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that must be considered. Also important 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 training school. We will cover that checklist in greater 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 available.

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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options

Hartwood VA electrician on power line pole There are several options to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Hartwood VA. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are brief summaries of the three most prevalent programs available.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Virginia vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards students who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees require 2 years to complete and are provided by Virginia junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at certain Virginia colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed before licensing. Therefore, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Guidelines

Hartwood VA electrician wiring box Electricians in Hartwood VA can carry out a vast array of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally around four to five years of prior experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional method for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be earned in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually entails three levels of competency:

An experience requirement
Passing a written exam
Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you select not only provides a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Programs

Hartwood VA student attending electrician school online An alternative that you may have looked at is selecting an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require some attendance on-campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning might be a more accommodating choice for students that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Hartwood VA are also lessened and some of the study materials may be available on line also. All of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Trade Schools

Questions to ask Hartwood VA electrician schools Once you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Hartwood VA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The first 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional factors that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the Hartwood VA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you acquire a quality education, it may help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited schools. Also, some 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 may suggest that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It may also suggest that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which can result in more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Hartwood VA students obtain apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with Hartwood VA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build 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 using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Hartwood VA electrical contracting company if they can give you some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Hartwood residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with a few of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with a few of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Hartwood VA, verify that the schools you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

School Electrician Hartwood Virginia

Hartwood VA electricians working on power lines Choosing the ideal electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. 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 a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical tech school that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Hartwood VA.