How to Choose the Best Electrician Training School near Canterbury Connecticut
The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Canterbury CT. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are so many points to consider. For example, some potential students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their home. When they have identified a few that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Even though cost and location are of importance, they are not the sole factors that should be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should help mold your final judgment when picking an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs
There are three general options to obtain electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Canterbury CT. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Following are short summaries of the three most common programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically provided by Connecticut trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards individuals who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take two years to finish and are provided by Connecticut community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Connecticut colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed before licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Canterbury CT can undertake a vast array of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally around four to five years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in numerous specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases entails 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 crucial that the electrician vocational school that you enroll in not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Training Classes
An option that you may have contemplated is choosing an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs have become more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely 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 may be accessed online, internet learning may be a more accommodating option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus many online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Driving expenses from Canterbury CT are also reduced and some of the study materials can be available on line as well. All of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Now that you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to focus your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Canterbury CT region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each school must meet. The initial two that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are additional variables that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to assess before choosing an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make certain that the Canterbury CT school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools 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 lower completion rate may suggest that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It could also indicate that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of graduates, which can produce more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Canterbury CT grads obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician training programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have referring relationships with Canterbury CT area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Canterbury CT electrical contracting company if they can provide some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Canterbury home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized 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 observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak to a few of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Canterbury CT, verify that the programs you are comparing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Electrical School Online Canterbury Connecticut
Picking 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 Electrical School Online and wanting more information on the topic Industrial Electrician Courses. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrical training program that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world context, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Canterbury CT.
More Electric Locations in Connecticut
Canterbury, Connecticut
The area was first settled in the 1680s as Peagscomsuck, consisting mainly of land north of Norwich, south of New Roxbury, Massachusetts (now Woodstock, Connecticut) and west of the Quinebaug River, Peagscomsuck Island and the Plainfield Settlement.[2] In 1703 it was officially separated from Plainfield and named The Town of Canterbury.[1][3] The town's name is a transfer from Canterbury, in England.[4]
In 1832, Prudence Crandall, a schoolteacher raised as a Quaker, stirred controversy when she opened a school for black girls in town. The Connecticut General Assembly passed the "Black Law" which prohibited the education of black children from out of state, but Crandall persisted in teaching, and was briefly jailed in 1832. Mobs forced the closure of the school in 1834, and Crandall married the Reverend Calvin Philleo that same year and moved to Illinois. Connecticut repealed the Black Law in 1838, and later recognized Crandall with a small pension in 1886, four years before her death. In 1995, the Connecticut General Assembly designated Prudence Crandall as the state's official heroine because she opened the first Academy for young black women. The school still stands in Canterbury, and currently serves as the Prudence Crandall Museum and is a National Historic Landmark.[5][6] In 2009 a life-size bronze statue of Prudence Crandall with one of her African American students was installed in the state capital.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.2 square miles (104 km2), of which, 39.9 square miles (103 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (0.62%) is water.
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