How To Become Electrician Lafayette Hill PA - Find Electrician Training Near You

How to Pick the Right Electrician Trade School near Lafayette Hill Pennsylvania

Lafayette Hill PA electrician working on circuit board The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Lafayette Hill PA. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are a number of points to consider. For instance, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are close to their home. When they have identified several that are within commuting range, they will decide on the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that must be examined. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are available.

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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs

Lafayette Hill PA electrician on power line pole There are several approaches to receive electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Lafayette Hill PA. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Frequently these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states to become licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are short descriptions of the 3 most typical programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards individuals who want to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs take two years to complete and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Pennsylvania institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed before licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements

Lafayette Hill PA electrician wiring box Electricians in Lafayette Hill PA can undertake a vast array of functions, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically around four to five years of experience is required in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be acquired 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 crucial that the electrician trade school that you choose not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Programs Online

Lafayette Hill PA student attending electrician school online An option that you may have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools are becoming more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be attended online, internet learning might be a more accommodating alternative for individuals that have limited time for education. And as a bonus many online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Commuting expenses from Lafayette Hill PA are also reduced and some of the study materials may be accessed online as well. All of these advantages can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Questions to ask Lafayette Hill PA electrician schools Once you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Lafayette Hill PA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must meet. The first two that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are other factors that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess before enrolling in an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. Many electrician trade schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the Lafayette Hill PA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you obtain an excellent education, it can help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it to be approved 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 finish the program. A low completion rate could signify that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It could also suggest that the instructors were not qualified 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 more extensive list of graduates, which can result in more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Lafayette Hill PA students secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician training programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with Lafayette Hill PA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Lafayette Hill PA electrical contractor if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Lafayette Hill residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger 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 feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Lafayette Hill PA, verify that the schools you are comparing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.

How To Become Electrician Lafayette Hill Pennsylvania

Lafayette Hill PA electricians working on power lines Choosing the ideal electrical trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. You originally came to this website due to an interest in How To Become Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Electrician College Courses. But as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical training program that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Lafayette Hill PA.

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Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania

Lafayette Hill is located just west of Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill neighborhood, and south of Plymouth Meeting. Lafayette Hill draws its name from the French General Marquis de Lafayette, who stayed there during the American Revolution.

Before the general decampment from Valley Forge in the spring of 1778, George Washington dispatched an estimated 2,200 troops under the command of Marquis de Lafayette to act as a defensive screen and to conduct reconnaissance of the British army, which had garrisoned in Philadelphia for the winter. The two forces had a brief engagement at nearby Barren Hill.

Today, Lafayette Hill is an affluent area with many parks and nature reserves. It is also home to a prominent Jewish community. Additionally, it is a commuter town, as many people travel to Philadelphia on workdays. Its main transit system is SEPTA.