How to Enroll in the Best Electrician Vocational School near West Memphis Arkansas
The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near West Memphis AR. But with so many technical schools to choose from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are a number of points to examine. For instance, many potential students will start by searching for schools that are close to their residence. After they have located several that are within driving range, they will choose the one with the least expensive tuition. While location and cost are of importance, they are not the sole factors that should be examined. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your final judgment when choosing an electrician training school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are available.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options
There are multiple options to get electrician training in a vocational or trade school near West Memphis AR. You can select a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Frequently these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you intend to become certified. Bellow are short explanations of the 3 most common programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually provided by Arkansas trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take 2 years to complete and are offered by Arkansas junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Arkansas institutions, but are less popular at four years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be completed before licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician License and Certification Criteria
Electricians in West Memphis AR can carry out a wide range of tasks, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be obtained in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you choose not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
An option that you might have contemplated is choosing an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs are becoming more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require some attendance on-campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the balance of the classes may be accessed online, distance learning can be a more convenient alternative for students that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Driving costs from West Memphis AR are also reduced and some of the study materials may be accessed on line as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to focus your training options. Considering that there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the West Memphis AR area, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The first two that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other variables that must be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician vocational programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the West Memphis AR school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you obtain a quality education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are looking at 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 suggest that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It may also indicate that the instructors were not qualified 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 may mean more contacts for the school to employ 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 help West Memphis AR grads secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or labor unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with West Memphis AR area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local West Memphis AR electrical contracting company if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within commuting distance of your West Memphis home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with some of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near West Memphis AR, check that the schools you are comparing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Electrician Technical School West Memphis Arkansas
Selecting the right electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrician Technical School and wanting more information on the topic Training Electrician. But as we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical training program that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in West Memphis AR.
More Electric Locations in Arkansas
West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 26,245 at the 2010 census,[3] ranking it as the state's 18th largest city, behind Bella Vista. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, and is located directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee.
Native Americans lived in the Mississippi River Valley for at least 10,000 years, although much of the evidence of their presence has been buried or destroyed. The Indians of the Mississippian Period were the last native inhabitants of the West Memphis area. Mound City Road, located within the eastern portion of the West Memphis city limits, has a marker indicating that the villages of Aquixo (Aquijo) or Pacaha were in the area. Several mounds are still visible.
Explorers from both Spain and France visited the area near West Memphis. Among those explorers were Hernando de Soto and his men from Spain and Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet from France. By the time French hunters and explorers entered the region, the Mississippian towns and other settlements had been abandoned. The original site of West Memphis came from Spanish land grants issued during the 1790s. Grants were given to Benjamin Fooy, John Henry Fooy, and Isaac Fooy in the Hopefield (Crittenden County) area and to William McKenney in the Bridgeport-West Memphis area.
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