Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Wheaton IL 60187

How to Become an Electrician in Wheaton Illinois

Wheaton IL electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Wheaton IL. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly because there are a number of variables to examine. For example, some potential students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their residence. After they have found a few that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the only things that must be considered. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should influence your final judgment when selecting an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional options that are offered.

Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs near Wheaton IL

Wheaton IL electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several ways to get electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Wheaton IL. You may select a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Illinois technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to finish. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees involve 2 years to finish and are offered by Illinois community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Illinois institutions, but are less popular at four years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be completed before licensing. Therefore, most students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites

Wheaton IL electricians working on power lines Electricians in Wheaton IL can perform a wide range of duties, such as installing, replacing and testing 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 municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically assess general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional means for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered differ by state and can be acquired in various specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails 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) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you select not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might be required to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Schools in Wheaton IL

attending electrician school online in Wheaton IL An alternative that you may have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools have become more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require some attendance on-campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning may be a more accommodating alternative for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Commuting costs from Wheaton IL are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be accessed on line as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.

Points to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Wheaton IL electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Because there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Wheaton IL region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are additional factors that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze before selecting an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. Many electrician trade programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the Wheaton IL school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you acquire a superior education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, many states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it 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 course. A lower completion rate might suggest that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It may also suggest that the teachers were not competent 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 more extensive directory of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to employ 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 Wheaton IL students obtain apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician technical programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have working partnerships with Wheaton IL area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Wheaton IL electrical company if they can give you some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you can move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Wheaton residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Speak with some of the students and get their feedback regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Wheaton IL, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Wheaton IL?

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

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton is a suburban city in Milton and Winfield Townships and is the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois.[4] It is located approximately 30 miles (48 km) west of Chicago. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,894,[5] which was estimated to have increased to 53,469 by July 2012.[6]

The city dates its founding to the period between 1831 and 1837, following the Indian Removal Act, when Alex Tomasik laid claim to 790 acres (320 ha) of land near present-day Warrenville.[7][8] The Wheaton brothers arrived from Connecticut, and in 1837, Warren L. Wheaton laid claim to 640 acres (260 ha) of land in the center of town. Jesse Wheaton later made claim to 300 acres (120 ha) of land just west of Warren's.[8][9] It was not long before other settlers from New England joined them in the community. In 1848, they gave the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad three miles (5 km) of right-of-way, upon which railroad officials named the depot Wheaton.[7][9] In 1850, ten blocks of land were platted and anyone who was willing to build immediately was granted free land. In 1853, the lots were surveyed and a formal plat for the community was filed with the county. The community was then incorporated as a village on February 24, 1859, with Warren serving as its first President.[10] The village was later incorporated as a city on April 24, 1890, when the first mayor of the city was selected, Judge Elbert Gary, son of Erastus Gary and founder of Gary, Indiana.[10]

In 1857, the Illinois state legislature authorized an election to be held to decide the question of whether the DuPage county seat should remain in Naperville or be moved to the more centrally located Wheaton, which was on the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad. Naperville won the election by a vote of 1,542 to 762. Hostility between the two towns continued for the next decade and another election was held in 1867, in which Wheaton narrowly won by a vote of 1,686 to 1,635. At a cost of $20,000, the City of Wheaton quickly built a courthouse to house a courtroom, county offices, and a county jail. The building was dedicated on July 4, 1868.[11]

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Enroll in the Right Electrical Technical School near Wheaton IL

Choosing the ideal electrical trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare among the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Every program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Wheaton IL.