How to Become an Electrician in Great Bend Kansas
The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Great Bend KS. But with so many vocational schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, some prospective students will commence by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. Once they have located some that are within driving distance, they will choose the one with the lowest tuition. While location and cost are significant, they are not the only factors that need to be considered. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final decision when selecting an electrician school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are offered.
Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options near Great Bend KS
There are three general approaches to obtain electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Great Bend KS. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. In many cases these programs are offered together with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the 3 most typical programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Kansas vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who want to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees involve two years to complete and are provided by Kansas junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Kansas colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be completed prior to licensing. Because of that, most students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Guidelines
Electricians in Great Bend KS can perform a wide range of services, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally around four to five years of experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be acquired in various specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves 3 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you choose not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you might need to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Training Classes in Great Bend KS
A possibility that you might have looked at is selecting an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs have become more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning might be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Great Bend KS are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be accessed online as well. All of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Great Bend KS area, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional factors that need to be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze before selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Many electrician technical schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Great Bend KS school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you get a quality education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved 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 percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It may also signify that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Great Bend KS 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 trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Great Bend KS area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the equipment 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, consult with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Great Bend KS electrical contractor if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Great Bend home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak to several of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Great Bend KS, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Great Bend KS?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Great Bend KS area.
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States.[6] It is named for its location at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east then southeast.[7] As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 15,995.[8]
Prior to American settlement of the area, the site of Great Bend was located in the northern reaches of Kiowa territory.[9] Claimed first by France as part of Louisiana and later acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it lay within the area organized by the U.S. as Kansas Territory in 1854.[10][11] Kansas became a state in 1861, and the state government delineated the surrounding area as Barton County in 1867.[11][12]
The first settlers of the area arrived in 1870. Living in sod houses and dugouts, they worked as buffalo hunters since trampling by bison herds precluded crop farming.[13] In 1871, the Great Bend Town Company, anticipating the westward construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, founded Great Bend at a site roughly three miles west of Fort Zarah on the Santa Fe Trail.[13][14] They named the settlement after its location at the "great bend" in the Arkansas River where the river’s course turns eastward.[7] The town began to grow as more settlers arrived over the following year and opened several businesses.
Choose the Ideal Electrician Trade School near Great Bend KS
Selecting the right electrical trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Great Bend KS.
Other Cool Cities in Kansas
Business Results 1 - 10 of 0
