How to Select the Right Electrician Technical School near Hardin Kentucky
The first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Hardin KY. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are a number of variables to examine. For example, many prospective students will start by looking for schools that are close to their home. After they have located some that are within commuting distance, they will decide on the one with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are important, they are not the sole factors that should be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your final judgment when choosing an electrician training school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional options that are available.
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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options
There are several approaches to receive electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Hardin KY. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Following are brief summaries of the three most prevalent programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Kentucky vocational and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve two years to complete and are provided by Kentucky junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Kentucky colleges, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Guidelines
Electricians in Hardin KY can perform a multitude of duties, 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 mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally around 4 to 5 years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams commonly assess electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in many specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails 3 levels of proficiency:
- 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 tech school that you pick not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Training Classes
An alternative that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools are becoming more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning might be a more accommodating option for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Commuting expenses from Hardin KY are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available online as well. All of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools
Once you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to focus your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Hardin KY area, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must meet. The first two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research before selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician vocational programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Hardin KY school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you get an excellent education, it can help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Also, some 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 looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate could signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It could also suggest that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, which can produce 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 field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Hardin KY grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Hardin KY area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art 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 regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Hardin KY electrical company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Hardin home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there may be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Hardin KY, check that the schools you are comparing offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Electrical Degree Online Hardin Kentucky
Choosing the right electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrical Degree Online and wanting more information on the topic Vocational Electrician Schools. But as we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Hardin KY.
More Electric Locations in Kentucky
Hardin County, Kentucky
Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Louisville/Jefferson County—Elizabethtown-Madison, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 105,543.[3]
Hardin County was established in 1792 from land given by Nelson County. Hardin was the 15th Kentucky county in order of formation.[4] The county is named for Col. John Hardin, a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution and a brother of the Capt. William Hardin who founded Hardinsburg.[5]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 630 square miles (1,600 km2), of which 623 square miles (1,610 km2) is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km2) (1.1%) is water.[7] It is the fourth-largest county by area in Kentucky.
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