How to Select the Right Electrician Tech School near Stillwater Maine
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Stillwater ME. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are so many points to examine. For example, some prospective students will start by searching for schools that are close to their home. When they have located several that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. While cost and location are significant, they are not the sole things that need to be considered. Also critical 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 trade school. We will discuss 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 educational options that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options
There are three general options to obtain electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Stillwater ME. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states in order to be licensed or if you wish to become certified. Bellow are brief descriptions of the three most common programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Maine vocational and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards those who would like to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take 2 years to complete and are offered by Maine community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Maine colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Stillwater ME can undertake a wide range of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure 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 duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed before taking the licensing examination. The exams usually evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available 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 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 pick not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
A possibility that you might have considered is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools have become more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, internet learning might be a more practical option for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Travelling expenses from Stillwater ME are also minimized and some of the study materials may be accessed on line as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Training Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to focus your school options. Considering that there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Stillwater ME region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are other factors that must be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Many electrician trade schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Stillwater ME program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a superior education, it can assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, a number of states mandate that the electrician training course 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 or portion of students who enroll in and complete the program. A low completion rate could indicate that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It may also mean that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which may mean more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Stillwater ME grads acquire apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and trade programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working relationships with Stillwater ME area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Stillwater ME electrical contractor if they can provide some pointers. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Stillwater residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with some of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Stillwater ME, check that the schools you are comparing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Qualified Electrician Courses Stillwater Maine
Selecting the best electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Qualified Electrician Courses and wanting more information on the topic Become A Certified Electrician. But as we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a must that any electrical training program that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Stillwater ME.
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