How to Choose the Right Electrician Technical School near Augusta Maine
The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Augusta ME. But with numerous vocational schools to pick from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are so many points to consider. For instance, some students will start by looking for schools that are close to their home. After they have identified some that are within commuting range, they will pick the one with the least expensive tuition. Although location and cost are of importance, they are not the sole things that should be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifiers should influence your ultimate judgment when picking an electrician trade school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training choices that are offered.
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Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options
There are three general ways to receive electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Augusta ME. You may select a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Often these programs are offered together with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you would like to become certified. Following are brief explanations of the three most typical programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Maine technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards those who would like to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve two years to finish and are offered by Maine junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Maine colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be completed before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Guidelines
Electricians in Augusta ME can carry out a wide range of tasks, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is called for before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be earned in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually 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 imperative that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you might need to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
A possibility that you might have considered is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools are becoming more accepted 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 partial attendance on campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning might be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Driving costs from Augusta ME are also lessened and some of the study materials may be available online also. All of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more affordable and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Augusta ME area, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested 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 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 choosing an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Augusta ME school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you get a quality education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, many states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it 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 lower completion rate could indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It could also indicate that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Augusta ME grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Augusta ME area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Augusta ME electrical contractor if they can provide some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within driving distance of your Augusta residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be challenging 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 instructors and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to a few 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 reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Augusta ME, check that the schools you are comparing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
Best Trade School For Electrician Augusta Maine
Selecting the ideal electrician 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 Best Trade School For Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Best Electrician Courses. But as we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Augusta ME.
More Electric Locations in Maine
Augusta, Maine
The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-least populous state capital in the United States after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota, and the ninth-most populous city in Maine. Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, Augusta is home to the University of Maine at Augusta. Augusta is also the principal city in the Augusta-Waterville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The area was first explored by the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1628 as a trading post on the Kennebec River. The settlement was known by its Indian name—Cushnoc (or Coussinoc or Koussinoc), meaning "head of the tide." Fur trading was at first profitable, but with Indian uprisings and declining revenues, the Plymouth Colony sold the Kennebec Patent in 1661. Cushnoc would remain unoccupied for the next 75 years.[6] This area was inhabited by the Kennebec Indians, a band of the larger Abenaki tribe. During the 17th century, they were on friendly terms with the English settlers in the region.[7][8]
A hotbed of Abenaki hostility toward British settlements was located further up the Kennebec at Norridgewock. In 1722, the tribe and its allies attacked Fort Richmond (now Richmond) and destroyed Brunswick. In response, Norridgewock was sacked in 1724 during Dummer's War, when English forces gained tentative control of the Kennebec. During the height of the French and Indian War, a blockhouse named Fort Western (now the oldest wooden fort in America), was built at Cushnoc on the eastern bank of the Kennebec River in 1754. It was intended as a supply depot for Fort Halifax upriver, as well as to protect its own region from French attack.[9] Later, during the American Revolutionary War Benedict Arnold and his 1,100 troops would use Fort Western as a staging area before continuing their journey up the Kennebec to the Battle of Quebec.
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