How to Pick the Best Electrician Training School near Weirton West Virginia
The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Weirton WV. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially because there are so many points to evaluate. For example, some prospective students will begin by searching for schools that are nearby their residence. Once they have identified some that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the only qualifications that need to be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should help mold your ultimate judgment when picking an electrician school. We will talk about 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 training options that are offered.
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Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options
There are multiple ways to get electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Weirton WV. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three options. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you would like to become certified. Following are brief descriptions of the 3 most common programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by West Virginia trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who want to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees require 2 years to finish and are provided by West Virginia community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some West Virginia institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be carried out prior to licensing. Therefore, many students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria
Electricians in Weirton WV can undertake a wide range of tasks, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is required in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered differ by state and can be obtained in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician trade school that you select not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools
A possibility that you might have contemplated is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs are becoming more popular as a way 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 receive practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes may be attended online, internet learning may be a more convenient alternative for students that have limited time for education. And as a bonus many online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Driving expenses from Weirton WV are also minimized and some of the study materials may be accessed online as well. All of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
Once you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to narrow down your school options. Considering that there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Weirton WV region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The first two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. 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 important when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to choosing an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the Weirton WV program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you get a superior education, it can help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, many states require 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 percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate could suggest that students were disappointed with the course and quit. It might also suggest that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which can result in more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Weirton WV graduates acquire apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training 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 inside their network of electrician businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working relationships with Weirton WV area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the equipment 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, consult with the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Weirton WV electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Weirton residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with some of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Weirton WV, confirm that the schools you are comparing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Electrical Technician Courses Weirton West Virginia
Selecting the ideal electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally came to this website due to an interest in Electrical Technician Courses and wanting more information on the topic Electrician Degrees. But as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers different possibilities for certification also. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you select is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Weirton WV.
More Electric Locations in West Virginia
Weirton, West Virginia
Weirton (pron. WEER-ton) is a city in Brooke and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located primarily in Hancock County, the city lies in the northern portions of the state's Northern Panhandle region. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 19,746. Weirton is a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2010 population of 124,454 residents. Additionally, Weirton is part of Greater Pittsburgh, the 20th largest combined statistical area in the United States with a 2016 estimated population of 2,635,228.
The small village called Holliday's Cove lanes — which is now most of downtown Weirton — was founded in 1793. (It eventually lost the apostrophe.) In 1909, Ernest T. Weir arrived from neighboring Pittsburgh and built a steel mill later known as Weirton Steel Corporation just north of Holliday's Cove.[5] An unincorporated settlement called Weirton grew up around the mill that, by 1940, was said to be the largest unincorporated city in the United States. By then Hollidays Cove and two other outlying areas, Weirton Heights and Marland Heights, which as their names suggest were on hilltops or ridges surrounding the "Weir–Cove" area, had also incorporated.
Hollidays Cove Fort was a Revolutionary War fortification constructed in 1774 by soldiers from Ft. Pitt. It was located in what is now downtown Weirton, along Harmons Creek (named for Harmon Greathouse), about three miles from its mouth on the Ohio River. It was commanded by Colonel Andrew Van Swearingen (1741–1793) and later by his son-in-law, Captain Samuel Brady (1756–1795), the famous leader of Brady's Rangers. In 1779, over 28 militia were garrisoned at Hollidays Cove. Two years earlier, Colonel Van Swearingen led a dozen soldiers by longboat down the Ohio to help rescue the inhabitants of Ft. Henry in Wheeling in a siege by the British and Indian tribes in 1777. That mission was memorialized in a WPA-era mural painted on the wall of the Cove Post Office by Charles S. Chapman (1879–1962). The mural features Col. John Bilderback, who later gained infamy as the leader of the massacre of the Moravian Indians in Gnadenhutten in 1782.[6]
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