How to Become an Electrician in Dublin Georgia
The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Dublin GA. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, some prospective students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their residence. Once they have found some that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. While location and cost are important, they are not the only factors that must be considered. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final decision when picking an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional options that are offered.
Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs near Dublin GA
There are several options to obtain electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Dublin GA. You may choose a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as common as the other three options. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states in order to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are short descriptions of the three most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by Georgia technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards individuals who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require two years to finish and are offered by Georgia community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Georgia institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed before licensing. Therefore, many students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Criteria
Electricians in Dublin GA can carry out a wide range of functions, 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 mandated to be licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but usually around 4 to 5 years of practical experience is required in order to take the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in many specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes 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 important that the electrician vocational school that you pick not only delivers a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools in Dublin GA
An option that you might have considered is selecting an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Although online training programs have become more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require some attendance on-campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning might be a more practical option for individuals that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Driving expenses from Dublin GA are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available on line as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Now that you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to focus your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Dublin GA area, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are other variables that must be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to selecting an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician vocational schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Dublin GA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you get an excellent education, it may assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, some states require that the electrician training program 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate may indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified 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 result in more contacts for the school to employ 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 trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Dublin GA graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician vocational programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with Dublin GA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained 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, talk to the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Dublin GA electrical contractor if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Dublin residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in 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 personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak to a few of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
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 attend classes at night or on weekends near Dublin GA, check that the schools you are considering offer 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.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Dublin GA?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Dublin GA area.
Dublin, Georgia
The original settlement was named after Dublin, Ireland.[6] Because of Dublin's location as a midpoint between Savannah and Atlanta, the town in recent decades became home to a small assortment of industrial distribution centers, which complemented various industries—textiles, furniture, and paper, among others—that had already established themselves there in the second half of the 20th century. Historically, however, Dublin's economy was based on the local cotton, corn, and soybean trades, which blossomed as the town's central location enabled it to thrive with the growth of the railroad.
Originally, Dublin and the surrounding area was home to Native Americans of the Muscogee people. Most of them fled westward with the arrival of European settlers, many of them organizing themselves into armed resistance units which fought government forces and British militias to protect their native territory well into the early 19th century. Ultimately, most of the Muscogee diaspora settled in what is now Oklahoma.
Despite the Irish ancestry of Dublin's first non-indigenous settlers, the town, like most of Middle Georgia, by the late 19th century had evolved from mixture of ethnicities. Most of the population descended from Scottish, English, and other western European immigrants. The considerable African-American population descended from most of whose roots lay in Angola or throughout west Africa. By the end of the 20th century, the town had also become home to a growing population of recent immigrants, many of them professionals from India, Korea, and Latin America. As labor migrations from Mexico and Central America shifted from the southwest U.S. to much of the southeast, many immigrants from those regions also moved to Dublin in the first decade of the 21st century.
Choose the Right Electrician Trade School near Dublin GA
Picking the ideal electrical training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare among the training programs you are considering. It’s a must that any electrical training that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world context, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Dublin GA.
Other Cool Cities in Georgia
Business Results 1 - 10 of 0
