How to Select the Best Electrician Trade School near Bowdoin Maine
The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Bowdoin ME. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are a number of points to consider. For example, some potential students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have identified several that are within commuting distance, they will choose the one with the least expensive tuition. While cost and location are significant, they are not the sole factors that must be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should help mold your ultimate judgment when picking an electrician school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional options that are available.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options
There are multiple ways to get electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Bowdoin 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 prevalent as the first three options. In many cases these programs are made available 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 short descriptions of the three most typical programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Maine technical and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They furnish a solid foundation and are geared towards those who wish to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs take two years to finish and are offered by Maine community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Maine colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites
Electricians in Bowdoin ME can perform a multitude of functions, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally about four to five years of prior experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams usually assess general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional 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 several specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves 3 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) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician tech school that you enroll in not only delivers a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Training Classes Online
An option that you might have contemplated is selecting an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools are becoming more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, distance learning may be a more practical choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus competitors. Driving expenses from Bowdoin ME are also lessened and some of the study materials may be available on line also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
Now that you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Considering that there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Bowdoin ME area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The first two that we talked about 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 final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to analyze before enrolling in an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician trade schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn 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. Confirm that the Bowdoin ME program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you get a superior education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, many states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are looking at 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 could indicate that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It might also signify that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Bowdoin ME graduates obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician trade programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Bowdoin ME area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by supplying practical training, but it also supplies job 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 state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Bowdoin ME electrical company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Bowdoin home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving 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 training as possible, which can be challenging 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 regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Bowdoin ME, confirm that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
How Many Years To Become An Electrician Bowdoin Maine
Choosing the ideal electrician training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in How Many Years To Become An Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Top Electrician Trade Schools. But as we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any electrical training that you are evaluating includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Bowdoin ME.
More Electric Locations in Maine
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College (/ˈboʊdɪn/ (listen) BOH-din) is a private liberal arts college located in Brunswick, Maine. At the time Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint engineering programs with Columbia, Caltech, Dartmouth College, and The University of Maine.[4][5]
The college was a founding member of its athletic conference, the New England Small College Athletic Conference, and the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium, an athletic conference and inter-library exchange with Bates and Colby College. Bowdoin has over 30 varsity teams and the school mascot was selected as a polar bear in 1913 to honor Robert Peary, a Bowdoin alumnus who led the first successful expedition to the north pole.[6] Between the years 1821 and 1921, Bowdoin operated a medical school called the Medical School of Maine.[7]
The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In addition to its Brunswick campus, Bowdoin also owns a 118-acre coastal studies center on Orr's Island[8] and a 200-acre scientific field station on Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy.[9] In 2019, the college was ranked as the fifth-best liberal arts college in the country by U.S. News & World Report.[10]
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