How to Become an Electrician in Vienna Illinois

The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Vienna IL. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are a number of points to evaluate. For instance, many prospective students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have located several that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the least expensive tuition. Although location and cost are important, they are not the sole qualifications that must be examined. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should contribute toward your final judgment when picking an electrician trade school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational options that are available.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Vienna IL

There are three general options to receive electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Vienna IL. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. In many cases these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are short explanations of the three most common programs offered.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Illinois technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards students who want to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
• Associate Degrees involve two years to finish and are offered by Illinois junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Illinois institutions, but are less popular at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be completed before licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites

Electricians in Vienna IL can undertake a wide range of functions, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally around four to five years of prior experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and can be obtained in several specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases involves 3 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician vocational school that you choose not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Programs in Vienna IL

An option that you might have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools have become more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning can be a more practical choice for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Driving expenses from Vienna IL are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

When you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to focus your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Vienna IL region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial 2 that we mentioned were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are additional factors that need to be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze before choosing an electrical technical school.

Accreditation.  Many electrician technical schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire 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 Vienna IL 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 acquire a superior education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates.  Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A lower completion rate might signify that students were disappointed with the course and dropped out. It could also indicate that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which can result in more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Vienna IL grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs.  Most electrician training programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have referring relationships with Vienna IL area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities.  Make sure that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Vienna IL electrical contracting company if they can give you some pointers. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Vienna home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition charges 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 larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how large they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Speak to some of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling.  Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Vienna IL, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Vienna IL?

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

Enroll in the Ideal Electrician Tech School near Vienna IL

Selecting the right electrician trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical training that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you pick is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Vienna IL.

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