Accredited Electrician Technical Schools Centerville PA - Find Electrician Training Near You

How to Pick the Best Electrician Training School near Centerville Pennsylvania

Centerville PA electrician working on circuit board The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Centerville PA. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are so many variables to consider. For instance, some students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their home. After they have identified several that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that must be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should help mold your final judgment when picking an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are available.

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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options

Centerville PA electrician on power line pole There are several ways to get electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Centerville PA. You may choose a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three options. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are brief explanations of the 3 most common programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They furnish a solid foundation and are geared towards those who wish to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees require 2 years to complete and are provided by Pennsylvania 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 offered at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less popular at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria

Centerville PA electrician wiring box Electricians in Centerville PA can undertake a wide range of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually around 4 to 5 years of practical experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly assess general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually 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) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you choose not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Programs

Centerville PA student attending electrician school online An option that you may have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online training programs have become more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning may be a more convenient choice for students that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Commuting costs from Centerville PA are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these advantages can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Questions to ask Centerville PA electrician schools Now that you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Centerville PA region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The first 2 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 while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional variables that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. Many electrician trade schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the Centerville PA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you acquire a quality education, it can assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Also, many states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It could also suggest 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 list of graduates, which may produce more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Centerville PA graduates acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or labor unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Centerville PA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the equipment 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, consult with the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Centerville PA electrical company if they can provide some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Centerville home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to some of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to some of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Centerville PA, verify that the programs you are comparing provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family emergencies.

Accredited Electrician Technical Schools Centerville Pennsylvania

Centerville PA electricians working on power lines Selecting the best electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Accredited Electrician Technical Schools and wanting more information on the topic Electrical Maintenance Training. But as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical tech school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Centerville PA.