How to Become an Electrician in Brownville Maine
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Brownville ME. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the right one? Especially since there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, many prospective students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their home. When they have located some that are within driving distance, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. While location and cost are significant, they are not the sole things that must be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your ultimate judgment when picking an electrician trade school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are accessible.
Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options near Brownville ME
There are multiple options to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Brownville ME. You can select a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three options. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Following are brief summaries of the 3 most prevalent programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually provided by Maine vocational and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards students who would like to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees require two years to complete and are provided by Maine junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Maine institutions, but are less popular at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be performed before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Guidelines
Electricians in Brownville ME can undertake a vast array of functions, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in numerous specialties, 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 imperative that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may be required to take in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Online Training Classes in Brownville ME
An option that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online training programs are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, distance learning might be a more practical alternative for students that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Driving costs from Brownville ME are also lessened and some of the study materials may be available on line as well. All of these benefits can make electrician online trade schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Now that you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to focus your school options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Brownville ME region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are other factors that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. Many electrician technical schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can attain Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Brownville ME program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, many states require that the electrician training course 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 of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may signify that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which can result in more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Brownville ME grads secure apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician trade programs are taught in conjunction 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 contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have referring relationships with Brownville ME area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus 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, check with the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Brownville ME electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Brownville residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may 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 challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk to a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to some of the instructors and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Brownville ME, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Brownville ME?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Brownville ME area.
Brownville, Maine
Brownville is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,250 at the 2010 census. Brownville includes the villages of Knight's Landing and Brownville Junction, near which passes the 100-Mile Wilderness of the Appalachian Trail.
The area was a part of the Waldo Patent purchased by Moses Brown and Major Josiah Hill of Newburyport, Massachusetts, who initiated its settlement.[4] In 1806, they built a dam and watermills on the Pleasant River. First known as township T5 R8 NWP, the community was organized in 1819 as Brownville Plantation. It was named for Francis Brown (nephew of Moses Brown), who was a mill owner and trader from Newbury, Massachusetts. In 1824, the town was incorporated as Brownville.[5]
Early settlers were given 50 acres (200,000 m2) to clear and cultivate. Farms produced hay, oats, potatoes, wheat and garden vegetables. Water power from the Pleasant River attracted industry, including sawmills, clapboard mills, gristmills, a shovel handle factory and a carriage factory. Quarries were established to extract the region's abundant slate, the quality of which won first prize at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. In 1843, the Bangor & Piscataquis Slate Company opened with 60 employees. It sent out 8,000-12,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Merrill Quarry opened in 1846 with about 80 employees, producing 30,000 squares of roofing slate annually. The Highland Quarry opened with Welsh employees, recruited because they were accustomed to working in slate. The last quarry closed in 1917.[6]
Choose the Right Electrical Tech School near Brownville ME
Selecting the right electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program provides different options for certification as well. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Brownville ME.
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