How to Choose the Right Electrician Technical School near Altus Afb Oklahoma
The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Altus Afb OK. But with so many vocational schools to pick from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, some students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their residence. After they have located a few that are within driving distance, they will choose the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the sole qualifications that must be evaluated. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final decision when choosing an electrician trade school. We will discuss 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 educational choices that are accessible.
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Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options
There are multiple options to get electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Altus Afb OK. 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 prevalent as the other three options. Often these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states to be licensed or if you intend to become certified. Following are short summaries of the three most prevalent programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Oklahoma technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards individuals who would like to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to complete and are offered by Oklahoma community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Oklahoma institutions, but are less favored at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be performed before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites
Electricians in Altus Afb OK can perform a vast array of functions, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly about four to five years of experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams usually test electrical theory and general knowledge, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be obtained in many specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails 3 levels of proficiency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying agencies 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 tech school that you pick not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools
A possibility that you might have looked at is choosing an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools are becoming more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, internet 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 cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Driving costs from Altus Afb OK are also lessened and some of the study materials can be available on line as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online 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 Tech Schools
Now that you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Because there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Altus Afb OK area, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are additional factors that must be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Many electrician trade programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Altus Afb OK school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you get a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Also, some states mandate that the electrician training program 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 percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate may suggest that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It might also signify that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to employ 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 industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Altus Afb OK graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician vocational programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Altus Afb OK area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Altus Afb OK electrical contractor if they can give you some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Altus Afb home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with several of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Altus Afb OK, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
I Want To Be An Electrician Altus Afb Oklahoma
Picking the best electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in I Want To Be An Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Accredited Electrician Schools Online. But as we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the training programs you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrical tech school that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect 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 end outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Altus Afb OK.
More Electric Locations in Oklahoma
Altus Air Force Base
The host unit at Altus AFB is the 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW), assigned to the Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF) of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The wing's mission is to provide C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus formal initial and advanced specialty training programs for up to 3000 flight crew and aircraft maintenance students annually.
Between 1945 and 1953, Altus served as a scrap yard for hundreds of World War II era military aircraft. In 1945 the famous B-17F "Memphis Belle" was discovered at Altus awaiting disposal. The aircraft was saved and transferred to the city of Memphis, Tennessee, where it was displayed until 2005, when it was relocated to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.
The base sat idle for only a few years. The onset of the Korean War in June 1950 created the need for more men to fly and service aircraft. During the early years of the conflict, many World War II airfields were examined for reactivation. On 1 August 1953, Altus Air Force Base was reactivated as a training base for transport aircraft. The C-47 "Skytrain" and the C-45 "Expediter" were the main aircraft assigned to the base, run briefly by the 63d Troop Carrier Wing from 8 January until 15 October 1953 under the watch of the Tactical Air Command (TAC).
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