How to Become an Electrician in Livingston Louisiana
The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Livingston LA. But with so many technical schools to pick from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are so many points to consider. For example, some potential students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. When they have identified a few that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the sole qualifications that should be evaluated. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should influence your final judgment when selecting an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.
Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Programs near Livingston LA
There are three general options to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Livingston LA. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Bellow are short summaries of the three most common programs available.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Louisiana vocational and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards students who wish to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take 2 years to finish and are provided by Louisiana junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at some Louisiana colleges, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed before licensing. For that reason, many students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites
Electricians in Livingston LA can carry out a multitude of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams commonly assess electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as understanding 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 can be acquired in various specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes three levels of competency:
- 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 enroll in not only provides a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may be required to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online in Livingston LA
An option that you may have contemplated is selecting an electrician online program to earn a certificate or degree. While online training programs have become more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes can be attended online, internet learning may be a more convenient option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus many online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Driving expenses from Livingston LA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Livingston LA area, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must meet. The first two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested 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 important when making your determination, there are additional variables that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the Livingston LA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you acquire a superior education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order 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 of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate could suggest that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It may also signify that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive 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 affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Livingston LA students secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Livingston LA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by supplying practical training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Livingston LA electrical contractor if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Livingston home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there may be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger 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 instructors. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Livingston LA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Livingston LA?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Livingston LA area.
Livingston, Louisiana
Livingston hosts one of the two LIGO gravitational wave detector sites, the other one being in located in Hanford, Washington.[4] In September 2015, Advanced LIGO detected the first direct Gravitational wave observation which was reported in February 2016.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), all land. The communities of Doyle and Livingston, combined in 1955 to create the Town of Livingston. Doyle was established northeast of present-day Livingston, located on Hog Branch, off present-day North Doyle Road but moved when the railroad was built from Baton Rouge to Hammond, and the community was re-located in 1901 by the McDonald family.
Livingston was started by the Lyons Lumber Company in 1916 as a logging community on 63 acres just west of Doyle, to support their logging industry and timber mill in Garyville, located south of Livingston on the Mississippi River. Therefore, Livingston and Garyville are sister cities.
Pick the Right Electrician Tech School near Livingston LA
Selecting the ideal electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. 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 looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrical tech school that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Probably 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 monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Livingston LA.
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