How to Become an Electrician in Lubec Maine
The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Lubec ME. But with so many vocational schools to pick from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are so many variables to evaluate. For example, many prospective students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their residence. When they have identified several that are within commuting range, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the only things that should be evaluated. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your ultimate decision when choosing an electrician training school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are accessible.
Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Lubec ME
There are several approaches to get electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Lubec ME. You can select a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you intend to become certified. Following are brief descriptions of the 3 most prevalent programs available.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Maine vocational and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards students who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to complete and are offered by Maine junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Maine colleges, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be completed before licensing. For that reason, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Lubec ME can carry out a wide range of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in many specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually includes 3 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you pick not only furnishes a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Programs Online in Lubec ME
An alternative that you might have looked at is choosing an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning might be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Travelling expenses from Lubec ME are also reduced and some of the study materials can be accessed online as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools
Once you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your training options. Since there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Lubec ME region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The initial two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other factors that must be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to analyze before enrolling in an electrical vocational school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the Lubec ME school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, it can assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Also, some states mandate 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 considering 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 could signify that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It might also suggest that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, 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 validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Lubec ME students secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with Lubec ME area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Lubec ME electrical contracting company if they can provide some tips. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Lubec residence. Take note that if you decide to attend 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 desirable that you receive as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Speak with several of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Lubec ME, verify that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Lubec ME?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Lubec ME area.
Lubec, Maine
Lubec (/ˌluːˈbɛk/ loo-BEK) is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,359 at the 2010 census.[4] Lubec is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States (see Extreme points of the United States) and is the closest continental location to Africa in the United States.[5]
Located on a peninsula overlooking an excellent ice-free harbor, the town was first settled about 1775. Originally part of Eastport, it was set off and incorporated on June 21, 1811, and named for Lübeck, Germany.[6] Following the War of 1812, Lubec was the site of considerable smuggling trade in gypsum, although principal industries remained agriculture and fisheries. By 1859, there was a tannery, three gristmills and nine sawmills; by 1886, there were also two shipyards, three boatbuilders and three sailmakers.[7]
From 1897 to 1898, the town was the site of a swindle in the sale of stock in the Electrolytic Marine Salts Company, the brainchild of Reverend Prescott Jernegan and Charles Fisher of Martha's Vineyard.[8] Jernegan claimed to have developed a method of using "accumulators" to get gold from sea water, and bought an old grist mill to turn it into a factory. The scheme attracted an abundance of investors, who were all too eager to funnel money into the company after being promised astronomical returns. In the summer of 1898, work was suspended without explanation at the factory. Jernegan and Smith vanished, and the fraud was gleefully exposed by newspapers across New England.[8]
Pick the Ideal Electrical Tech School near Lubec ME
Picking the ideal electrician trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical tech school that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Lubec ME.
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