How to Enroll in the Best Electrician Vocational School near Oakmont Pennsylvania
The first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Oakmont PA. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are a number of points to evaluate. For instance, some students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their home. After they have identified some that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are significant, they are not the only factors that must be evaluated. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should help mold your final judgment when picking an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational options that are accessible.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options
There are multiple ways to receive electrician training in a trade or technical school near Oakmont PA. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Frequently these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states to be licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Following are brief summaries of the 3 most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who wish to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take 2 years to finish and are provided by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out 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 Licensing and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Oakmont PA can carry out a vast array of functions, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about four to five years of practical experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in several specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes 3 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 crucial that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you might need to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online
An option that you may have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools are becoming more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, distance learning might be a more accommodating choice for students that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus competitors. Commuting costs from Oakmont PA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available online as well. All of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Considering that there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Oakmont PA area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The first two that we mentioned were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional variables that need to be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze before choosing an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Oakmont PA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you get a superior education, it may assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are reviewing 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 program and dropped out. It might also indicate that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s also 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 mean more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Oakmont PA grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician trade programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or labor unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with Oakmont PA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Oakmont PA electrical contractor if they can give you some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Oakmont residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much one-on-one instruction 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 large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Speak to several of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Oakmont PA, confirm that the programs you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Best Trade School For Electrician Oakmont Pennsylvania
Picking the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Best Trade School For Electrician and wanting more information on the topic Best Electrician Courses. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrical tech school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every 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 current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique options for certification as well. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you pick is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Oakmont PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Incorporated as a town in 1889, this Allegheny River community began in 1816 when a farmer, Michael Bright, bought a large tract of land 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. The settlement took its name from a landmark tree, as the deed description reads, "Beginning at a black oak on the bank of the Allegheny River ..." The borough is best known for the nearby Oakmont Country Club, a premier golf course which has been the site of numerous U.S. Open golf tournaments, including the 2016 U.S. Open.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), of which 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), or 8.99%, is water. The business district of town is on relatively flat land near the Allegheny River, but the main residential area is on the upward slope headed toward Oakmont Country Club and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Plum Creek flows through the borough.[5]
Oakmont has three land borders, including Plum to the east, and Penn Hills and Verona to the south. Across the Allegheny River to the west and northwest, Oakmont runs adjacent with O'Hara Township to the west and Harmar Township to the north (via the Hulton Bridge).
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