How to Choose the Right Electrician Training School near Bay Saint Louis Mississippi
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Bay Saint Louis MS. But with so many vocational schools to pick from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially since there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, many students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their home. After they have located several that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the least expensive tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the sole factors that need to be evaluated. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your final decision when choosing an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are several options to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Bay Saint Louis MS. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you intend to become certified. Bellow are brief explanations of the 3 most common programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Mississippi technical and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards students who would like to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require two years to finish and are offered by Mississippi community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Mississippi institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be performed before licensing. Therefore, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Bay Saint Louis MS can perform a wide range of duties, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams commonly test electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be acquired in numerous specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases includes 3 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician vocational school that you select not only delivers a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
An option that you may have looked at is selecting an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs have become more popular as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning may be a more convenient alternative for students that have limited time for education. And as a bonus numerous online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Bay Saint Louis MS are also minimized and a portion of the study materials may be available online also. All of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Once you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Bay Saint Louis MS area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial two that we mentioned 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 although all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are other factors that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess before enrolling in an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the Bay Saint Louis MS school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you receive a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, a number of states require 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It could also indicate that the teachers were not qualified 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 can produce more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Bay Saint Louis MS students secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician trade programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring partnerships with Bay Saint Louis MS area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Bay Saint Louis MS electrical contracting company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Bay Saint Louis home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with some of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Bay Saint Louis MS, check that the programs you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Electrician Degrees Online Bay Saint Louis Mississippi
Choosing the best electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrician Degrees Online and wanting more information on the topic Electrical Training Programs. But as we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every program provides unique options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Bay Saint Louis MS.
More Electric Locations in Mississippi
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States.[3] Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 9,260.[4]
The city is recovering after population was lost in 2005 due to evacuations related to Hurricane Katrina. Many people stayed away from the city because of extensive damage from the storm surge. The Census Bureau's 2016 population estimate was 12,667.[5]
The first European settlers in this area were French colonists, whose culture still influences the small city. They imported slaves from Africa. A Louisiana Creole population developed of free people of color.
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