How to Pick the Best Electrician Trade School near West Milford New Jersey
The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near West Milford NJ. But with so many vocational schools to choose from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are a number of variables to evaluate. For example, many prospective students will commence by looking for schools that are nearby their home. After they have identified several that are within driving range, they will select the one with the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are of importance, they are not the only things that must be evaluated. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your final judgment when selecting an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are available.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are multiple options to get electrician training in a technical or vocational school near West Milford NJ. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Frequently these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Following are short explanations of the 3 most typical programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically provided by New Jersey vocational and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards students who wish to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees involve two years to finish and are offered by New Jersey junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain New Jersey institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be completed prior to licensing. Because of that, the majority of students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Requirements
Electricians in West Milford NJ can perform a wide range of services, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about four to five years of prior experience is called for in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional means for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be obtained in various specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves three 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician trade school that you select not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you might be required to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online
An alternative that you might have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, distance learning can be a more practical choice for students that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Commuting expenses from West Milford NJ are also reduced and some of the study materials may be available online also. Each of these advantages can make electrician online trade schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
What to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
When you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Because there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the West Milford NJ region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional factors that need to be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician trade programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain 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 sure that the West Milford NJ school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you receive an excellent education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited schools. Also, some states require that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are considering 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 suggest that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It might also signify that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, which may produce more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist West Milford NJ grads obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician businesses or labor unions. Check if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with West Milford NJ area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure 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 in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local West Milford NJ electrical contractor if they can give you some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your West Milford residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger 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 to several of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near West Milford NJ, confirm that the programs you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
Electrician Degrees Online West Milford New Jersey
Selecting the best electrician trade school will probably be the most important 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 a number of things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction 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 differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers different options for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your short 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 training program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in West Milford NJ.
More Electric Locations in New Jersey
West Milford, New Jersey
West Milford is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 25,850,[9][10][11] reflecting a decline of 560 (-2.1%) from the 26,410 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 980 (+3.9%) from the 25,430 counted in the 1990 Census.[19]
West Milford started out as New Milford in what was then western Bergen County in the 18th century, having been settled by disenchanted Dutch from Milford, New Jersey (later renamed by the British as Newark). These same Dutch also built a town of New Milford in eastern Bergen County. When both New Milfords applied for post offices in 1828, a clerk in Washington, D.C. is said to have approved the other application first and assigned the name "West Milford" to the New Milford in western Bergen County in order to distinguish between the two locations.[20]
West Milford became a municipality by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1834, when it was formed from the westernmost half of Pompton Township, while the area was still part of Bergen County. On February 7, 1837, Passaic County was created from portions of both Bergen County and Essex County, with West Milford as the western end of the newly formed county.[21] The township was named for Milford, Connecticut.[22]
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