How to Enroll in the Best Electrician Tech School near Lubbock Texas
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Lubbock TX. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are so many points to consider. For example, some students will commence by looking for schools that are close to their home. When they have identified several that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the sole things that should be evaluated. 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 ultimate judgment when choosing an electrician trade school. We will cover 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 educational choices that are available.
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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options
There are several options to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Lubbock TX. You can choose a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Frequently these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you would like to become certified. Bellow are brief summaries of the three most prevalent programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Texas trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards those who would like to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require two years to complete and are provided by Texas junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Texas institutions, but are less popular at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be completed before licensing. For that reason, most students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Lubbock TX can carry out a wide range of functions, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally about four to five years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be obtained in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you choose not only provides a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Programs Online
A possibility that you may have considered is selecting an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online schools have become more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, internet learning can be a more accommodating option for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Travelling expenses from Lubbock TX are also minimized and a portion of the study materials may be available on line also. All of these benefits can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Lubbock TX region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each school must meet. 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 needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other variables that must be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze before selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Lubbock TX school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you acquire a superior education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It may also indicate that the teachers were not qualified 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 list of alumni, which can produce 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 an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Lubbock TX graduates obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Lubbock TX area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Lubbock TX electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Lubbock home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak with some of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some 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 programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Lubbock TX, verify that the programs you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Best Online Electrician School Lubbock Texas
Selecting the right electrical trade school 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 Online Electrician School and wanting more information on the topic How To Become A Licensed Electrician. But as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each training program offers different options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Take the time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training 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 Lubbock TX.
More Electric Locations in Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock (/ˈlʌbək/ LUB-ək)[6] is the 11th most-populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 256,042 in 2015, the city is also the 83rd most-populous in the United States.[2][7] The city is located in northwestern part of the state, a region known historically and geographically as the Llano Estacado and ecologically is part of the southern end of the High Plains, lying at the economic center of the Lubbock metropolitan area, which has a projected 2020 population of 327,424.[8]
Lubbock's nickname, "Hub City", derives from it being the economic, educational, and health care hub of the multicounty region, north of the Permian Basin and south of the Texas Panhandle, commonly called the South Plains.[9] The area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world[10][11] and is heavily dependent on water drawn from the Ogallala Aquifer for irrigation. Lubbock was selected as the 12th-best place to start a small business by CNNMoney.com.[12] CNN mentioned the city's traditional business atmosphere: low rent for commercial space, central location, and cooperative city government. Lubbock is home to Texas Tech University, the sixth-largest college by enrollment in the state. Lubbock High School has been recognized for three consecutive years by Newsweek as one of the top high schools in the United States, based in part on its international baccalaureate program.[13]
Lubbock County was founded in 1876. It was named after Thomas Saltus Lubbock, former Texas Ranger and brother of Francis Lubbock, governor of Texas during the Civil War.[15] As early as 1884, a U.S. post office existed in Yellow House Canyon. A small town, known as Old Lubbock, Lubbock, or North Town, was established about three miles to the east. In 1890, the original Lubbock merged with Monterey, another small town south of the canyon. The new town adopted the Lubbock name. The merger included moving the original Lubbock's Nicolett Hotel across the canyon on rollers to the new townsite. Lubbock became the county seat in 1891,[16] and was incorporated on March 16, 1909. In the same year, the first railroad train arrived.
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