How to Choose the Right Electrician Trade School near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Pittsburgh PA. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are a number of factors to evaluate. For instance, many prospective students will start by searching for schools that are close to their residence. When they have identified some that are within driving range, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. While cost and location are significant, they are not the only qualifications that need to be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final decision when picking an electrician trade school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.
Click Here to Get Free Information on Electrician Schools Near You!
Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options
There are three general ways to get electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Pittsburgh PA. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as common as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states to be licensed or if you would like to become certified. Following are brief explanations of the three most common programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards individuals who wish to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain Pennsylvania colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Pittsburgh PA can carry out a multitude of services, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but typically around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be obtained in numerous specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually entails 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) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you select not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might be required to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online
An option that you might have considered is choosing an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online training programs are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning can be a more practical choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Travelling costs from Pittsburgh PA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available on line as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Pittsburgh PA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional variables that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the Pittsburgh PA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you receive a quality education, it can help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, many states mandate 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 considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and complete the program. A lower completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It may also mean that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which can mean more contacts for the school to use 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 trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Pittsburgh PA grads obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician trade programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Pittsburgh PA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Pittsburgh PA electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Pittsburgh residence. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with some of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Pittsburgh PA, confirm that the schools you are comparing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Electrical Contractor Training Program Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
Selecting the best electrician training program 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 Electrical Contractor Training Program and wanting more information on the topic Electrical Training Courses. But as we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician training program that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification as well. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Pittsburgh PA.
More Electric Locations in Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (/ˈpɪtsbɜːrɡ/ PITS-burg) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. A population of about 302,407 residents live within the city limits, making it the 65th-largest city in the U.S. The metropolitan population of 2,324,743 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania (behind Philadelphia), and the 27th-largest in the U.S.
Pittsburgh is located in the south west of the state, at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers.[4] Pittsburgh is known both as "the Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses and as the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges.[5] The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. The city developed as a vital link of the Atlantic coast and Midwest, as the mineral-rich Allegheny Mountains made the area coveted by the French and British empires, Virginians, Whiskey Rebels, and Civil War raiders.[6]
Aside from steel, Pittsburgh has led in manufacturing of aluminum, glass, shipbuilding, petroleum, foods, sports, transportation, computing, autos, and electronics.[7] For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind only New York and Chicago in corporate headquarters employment; it had the most U.S. stockholders per capita.[8] America's 1980s deindustrialization laid off area blue-collar workers and thousands of downtown white-collar workers when the longtime Pittsburgh-based world headquarters moved out.[9] This heritage left the area with renowned museums, medical centers,[10]parks, research centers, and a diverse cultural district.[11]
Business Results 1 - 10 of 81
6 Reviews 
15 Reviews 
2 Reviews 
3 Reviews 4 Reviews 
3 Reviews 1 Reviews 
8 Reviews 
5 Reviews 6 Reviews 