Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Park Forest IL 60466

How to Become an Electrician in Park Forest Illinois

Park Forest IL electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Park Forest IL. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly since there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. Once they have found a few that are within commuting distance, they will decide on the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though location and cost are significant, they are not the only factors that need to be evaluated. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your ultimate decision when selecting an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.

Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options near Park Forest IL

Park Forest IL electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple ways to obtain electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Park Forest IL. You may choose a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to become licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Bellow are short descriptions of the 3 most common programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually provided by Illinois trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards those who wish to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees take two years to finish and are offered by Illinois community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Illinois 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 in most cases four years be performed before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria

Park Forest IL electricians working on power lines Electricians in Park Forest IL can undertake a multitude of duties, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but usually about four to five years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically 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 differentiate her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in several specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves three 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 imperative that the electrician vocational school that you choose not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Programs in Park Forest IL

attending electrician school online in Park Forest IL An alternative that you may have looked at is choosing 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 instance they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be attended online, distance learning may be a more practical option for individuals that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Travelling expenses from Park Forest IL are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available online also. Each of these advantages can make electrician online trade schools more affordable and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Park Forest IL electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your training options. Since there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Park Forest IL region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other factors that must be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research prior to enrolling in an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Park Forest IL program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you obtain a superior education, it may assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate might indicate that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which may mean more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Park Forest IL grads acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician contractors or labor unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Park Forest IL area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure 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 on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Park Forest IL electrical contracting company if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Park Forest residence. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to several of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Park Forest IL, verify that the programs you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Additionally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Park Forest IL?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Park Forest IL area.

Park Forest, Illinois

Park Forest is a village located south of Chicago in Cook and Will counties, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village had a population of 21,975.[3] Park Forest is bordered by Olympia Fields to the north, Chicago Heights to the east, University Park to the south (formerly Park Forest South), and Richton Park and Matteson to the west.

Developers Nathan Manilow, Carroll F. Sweet and Philip M. Klutznick held a press conference in the Palmer House in Chicago on October 28, 1946, to announce the planned development of a new self-governing community in Chicago's south suburbs. This project, soon to be referred to as Park Forest, was to be developed by American Community Builders (ACB). The village of Park Forest was partly designed by town planner Elbert Peets in the tradition of planned communities around the nation to provide housing for veterans returning from World War II.

Studs Terkel, in his oral history of World War II, The Good War,[4] says Park Forest and other such middle-class suburbs grew out of the new prosperity after the war. First he quotes an unnamed GI, "The war changed our whole idea of how we wanted to live when we came back. We set our sights pretty high. . . . I am now what you'd call middle class." Terkel goes on: "The suburb, until [about 1946], had been the exclusive domain of the 'upper class.' It was where the rich lived. The rest of us were neighborhood folk. At war's end, a new kind of suburb came into being. . . . Thanks to the GI bill, two new names were added to American folksay: Levittown and Park Forest.

The location could not be found.

Enroll in the Right Electrical Trade School near Park Forest IL

Selecting the best electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on a few 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 commitment, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Park Forest IL.