How to Choose the Right Electrician Tech School near West Lafayette Indiana
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near West Lafayette IN. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly since there are so many factors to consider. For instance, many students will start by searching for schools that are close to their home. After they have identified some that are within commuting range, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the only things that must be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate judgment when picking an electrician training school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But to begin with, 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 Options
There are three general ways to obtain electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near West Lafayette IN. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as common as the first three options. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by most states in order to become licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Indiana technical and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to complete and are offered by Indiana junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Indiana colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be performed prior to licensing. Because of that, most students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Criteria
Electricians in West Lafayette IN can undertake a vast array of duties, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be acquired in numerous specialties, such as 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 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 vocational school that you select not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
An alternative that you might have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the balance of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning may be a more accommodating alternative for individuals that have limited time for education. And as a bonus many online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Travelling costs from West Lafayette IN are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can 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 address in our questions to ask checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Now that you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Because there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the West Lafayette IN region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional variables that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the West Lafayette IN program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you get an excellent education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, a number of states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it 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 percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A lower completion rate may indicate that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It could also mean that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which can produce more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist West Lafayette IN graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring partnerships with West Lafayette IN area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm 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, check with the electrical tech you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local West Lafayette IN electrical contracting company if they can provide some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your West Lafayette home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with a few of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near West Lafayette IN, check that the programs you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Learn To Be An Electrician West Lafayette Indiana
Choosing the right electrician trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Learn To Be An Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Electrician Courses. But as we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrical training program that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in West Lafayette IN.
More Electric Locations in Indiana
West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette (/ˌlɑːfiːˈɛt, ˌlæf-/) is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States,[6] about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and 103 miles (166 km) southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, Lafayette. As of the 2016 census estimate, its population was 45,872.[7] It is the most densely populated city in Indiana and is home to Purdue University.
Augustus Wylie laid out a town in 1836 in the Wabash River floodplain south of the present Levee. Due to regular flooding of the site, Wylie's town was never built. The present city was formed in 1888 by the merger of the adjacent suburban towns of Chauncey, Oakwood, and Kingston, located on a bluff across the Wabash River from Lafayette, Indiana.[8] The three towns had been small suburban villages which were directly adjacent to one another. Kingston was laid out in 1855 by Jesse B. Lutz. Chauncey was platted in 1860 by the Chauncey family of Philadelphia, wealthy land speculators. Chauncey and Kingston formed a municipal government in 1866 which selected the name "Chauncey".[8]
The new town of Chauncey remained a small suburban village until Purdue University opened in 1869. In 1871 Chauncey voted to be annexed by Lafayette because it was unable to provide the infrastructure (such as improved streets, waterworks, police and fire protection). Lafayette voted against annexing Chauncey because of the high cost of the many improvements that the village lacked.[9] In May 1888, the town of Chauncey voted to change its name to West Lafayette after a petition signed by 152 electors.[10] By that time, the growth of the university was fueling the growth of the little town. The address of Purdue University was given as "Lafayette, Indiana" until well into the twentieth century. West Lafayette never gained a railroad depot and lagged several years behind Lafayette in the establishment of municipal infrastructure and services. Today, West Lafayette has established itself as a separate city, with independent services and unique neighborhoods distinct from those of its sister city, Lafayette.
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