How to Pick the Best Electrician Trade School near Fort Lee Virginia
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Fort Lee VA. But with so many technical schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are a number of factors to evaluate. For instance, some students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. After they have identified several that are within driving distance, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are of importance, they are not the sole factors that must be considered. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final judgment when picking an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional options that are offered.
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Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs
There are three general ways to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Fort Lee VA. You may choose a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to become licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Following are short explanations of the 3 most common programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Virginia vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards individuals who want to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to finish and are provided by Virginia community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at certain Virginia institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be performed before licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Fort Lee VA can perform a wide range of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but commonly around four to five years of prior experience is called for in order to take the licensing exam. The exams commonly assess electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be obtained in numerous specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually involves 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only delivers a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you may be required to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online
An alternative that you might have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online program to earn a certificate or degree. 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 schools require some attendance on-campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning might be a more convenient option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Commuting costs from Fort Lee VA are also lessened and some of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Fort Lee VA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other variables that need to be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to analyze before choosing an electrical tech school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Fort Lee VA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you obtain a superior education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It may also mean that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which can produce more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Fort Lee VA grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Fort Lee VA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm 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 in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Fort Lee VA electrical contracting company if they can give you some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Fort Lee residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to some of the instructors 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 evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Fort Lee VA, verify that the programs you are comparing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family emergencies.
Electrical Courses Online Fort Lee Virginia
Picking the ideal electrical trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrical Courses Online and wanting more information on the topic School Of Electrical Education. But as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any electrical training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Fort Lee VA.
More Electric Locations in Virginia
Fort Lee (Virginia)
Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, the U.S. Army Ordnance School, The U.S. Army Transportation School, the Army Logistics University (ALU), Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), and the U.S. Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA).
Fort Lee also hosts two Army museums, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum and the U.S. Army Women's Museum. The Army's Ordnance Museum relocated to Fort Lee in 2009–2010 and has plans to return its collection to public display at Fort Lee. The fort is named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee.[1] Fort Lee is also a census-designated place (CDP), with population of 3,393 at the 2010 census.
When construction work ended, there were accommodations for 60,335 men. On 15 July 1917, the War Department announced that the camp would be named after General Robert E. Lee, a Confederate Civil War commander. Brigadier General Malcolm Frost said, "Every Army installation is named for a soldier who holds a place in our military history." He further explained that the historic names chosen "represent individuals, not causes or ideologies," and that it was done "in the spirit of reconciliation, not division."[2]
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