How to Choose the Right Electrician Technical School near Clarksville Tennessee
The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Clarksville TN. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, some potential students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their residence. When they have identified a few that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the sole things that must be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should help mold your final judgment when selecting an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training choices that are available.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options
There are multiple approaches to get electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Clarksville TN. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. In many cases these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states in order to become licensed or if you intend to become certified. Bellow are short summaries of the 3 most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Tennessee trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards those who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve two years to complete and are provided by Tennessee community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Tennessee institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed before licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Clarksville TN can carry out a vast array of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be earned in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases entails 3 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you pick not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may be required to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Training Classes
A possibility that you might have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs are becoming more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not totally 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 attended online, distance learning can be a more convenient choice for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Clarksville TN are also minimized and some of the study materials can be accessed online as well. All of these advantages can make electrician online tech schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
Now that you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Because there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Clarksville TN region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research before enrolling in an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician vocational schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Clarksville TN program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you receive a quality education, it may help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it 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 may indicate that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It may also suggest that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of graduates, which may mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Clarksville TN grads secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician trade programs are taught in conjunction 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 contractors or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Clarksville TN area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained 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, check with the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Clarksville TN electrical contracting company if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Clarksville residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased 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 few of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Speak with some of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Clarksville TN, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Electrical Technician Schools Clarksville Tennessee
Selecting the best electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrical Technician Schools and wanting more information on the topic Electrician Training Requirements. But as we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical training that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each training program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Clarksville TN.
More Electric Locations in Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States.[8] It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.[9] The city had a population of 132,929 at the 2010 census, and an estimated population of 153,205 in 2017.[10]
It is the principal central city of the Clarksville, TN–KY metropolitan statistical area, which consists of Montgomery and Stewart Counties in Tennessee, and Christian and Trigg Counties in Kentucky. The city was founded in 1785 and incorporated in 1807,[11] and named for General George Rogers Clark, frontier fighter and Revolutionary War hero,[2] and brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.[12]
Clarksville is the home of Austin Peay State University; The Leaf-Chronicle, the oldest newspaper in Tennessee; and neighbor to the Fort Campbell, United States Army base. Site of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell is located about 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Clarksville, straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. While the post office for the base is located on the Kentucky side, the majority of the base's acreage is on the Tennessee side.
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