How to Choose the Right Electrician Tech School near Elizabethtown Kentucky
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Elizabethtown KY. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are so many factors to consider. For example, many potential students will commence by looking for schools that are close to their home. After they have found several that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. While location and cost are significant, they are not the sole qualifications that need to be evaluated. 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 judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are several ways to receive electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Elizabethtown KY. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Often these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to become licensed or if you want to become certified. Following are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically provided by Kentucky vocational and trade schools and require approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards students who wish to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees require two years to finish and are offered by Kentucky community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Kentucky colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be carried out prior to licensing. Therefore, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Guidelines
Electricians in Elizabethtown KY can perform a multitude of tasks, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure 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 period of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually around 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). Receiving certification is also an optional means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and can be obtained in many specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases includes 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 important that the electrician vocational school that you enroll in not only provides a strong educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online
A possibility that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, internet learning may be a more practical option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Travelling expenses from Elizabethtown KY are also reduced and some of the study materials may be accessed online as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
Once you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Elizabethtown KY area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we mentioned were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Elizabethtown KY school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, many 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 percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may indicate that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It could also suggest that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may produce more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Elizabethtown KY graduates secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician vocational programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician businesses or labor unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring partnerships with Elizabethtown KY area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional 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 on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Elizabethtown KY electrical contracting company if they can give you some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Elizabethtown home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to several of the students and get their comments 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 hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Elizabethtown KY, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.
Top Electrician Schools Online Elizabethtown Kentucky
Picking the best electrical trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Top Electrician Schools Online and wanting more information on the topic How Long To Become An Electrician. But as we have addressed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician tech school that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every training program provides different options for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you pick is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Elizabethtown KY.
More Electric Locations in Kentucky
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city[2] and the county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,531 at the 2010 census,[3] and was estimated at 29,906 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016, making it the 11th-largest city in the state.[4] It is included in (and the principal city of) the Elizabethtown–Fort Knox, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Louisville/Jefferson County–Elizabethtown–Madison, Kentucky-Indiana Combined Statistical Area.
Elizabethtown is in east-central Hardin County, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Fort Knox. Interstate 65 passes through the southeast side of the city, leading north-northeast 45 miles (72 km) to Louisville and southwest 71 miles (114 km) to Bowling Green. The Western Kentucky Parkway starts at I-65 in Elizabethtown and leads west 138 miles (222 km) to Eddyville. To the east, the Bluegrass Parkway leads 105 miles (169 km) to Lexington.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Elizabethtown has a total area of 25.8 square miles (67 km2), of which 25.4 square miles (66 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1 km2) (1.77%) is water.[3]
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