Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Dundalk MD 21222

How to Become an Electrician in Dundalk Maryland

Dundalk MD electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Dundalk MD. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly because there are so many points to evaluate. For instance, some potential students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their home. After they have identified several that are within driving distance, they will choose the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the only qualifications that must be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should contribute toward your final judgment when selecting an electrician training school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options near Dundalk MD

Dundalk MD electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general approaches to obtain electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Dundalk MD. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Frequently these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you would like to become certified. Bellow are short summaries of the three most typical programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Maryland trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who wish to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees involve two years to complete and are provided by Maryland junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Maryland colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be performed prior to licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Criteria

Dundalk MD electricians working on power lines Electricians in Dundalk MD can carry out a wide range of duties, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but commonly around 4 to 5 years of practical experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving 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 specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves three 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 important that the electrician vocational school that you pick not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you may be required to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools in Dundalk MD

attending electrician school online in Dundalk MD A possibility that you may have contemplated is selecting an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, internet learning might be a more practical alternative for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Dundalk MD are also minimized and some of the study materials may be available online as well. Each of these advantages can make electrician online trade schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Dundalk MD electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Because there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Dundalk MD area, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about 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 chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research before choosing an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Dundalk MD 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 make certain that you acquire a superior education, it can help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited schools. Also, a number of states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A low completion rate could indicate that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to train 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 graduates, which may produce more contacts for the school to use 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 help Dundalk MD students secure apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with Dundalk MD area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Dundalk MD electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Dundalk residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there may be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with some of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Dundalk MD, check that the programs you are comparing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Dundalk MD?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Dundalk MD area.

Dundalk, Maryland

Dundalk ( /ˈdʌndɔːk/ DUN-dawk or /ˈdʌndɒk/ DUN-dok) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 63,597 at the 2010 census.[1] In 1960 and 1970, Dundalk was the largest unincorporated community in Maryland. It was named after the town of Dundalk, Ireland. Dundalk is considered one of the first inner-ring suburbs of Baltimore.

In 1856 Henry McShane, an immigrant from Ireland, established the McShane Bell Foundry on the banks of the Patapsco River in the then far southeastern outskirts of Baltimore.[2] The foundry later relocated to the Patterson Park area of Baltimore until a fire during the 1940s caused it to move to 201 East Federal Street. In addition to bronze bells, the foundry once manufactured cast iron pipes and furnace fittings. When asked by the Baltimore and Sparrows Point Railroad for a name of a depot for the foundry, which was on their rail line, McShane wrote Dundalk, after the town of his birth, Dundalk, Ireland. In 1977 the foundry moved to its current location in Glen Burnie.

In 1916 the Bethlehem Steel Company purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of farmland, near the McShane foundry, to develop housing for its shipyard workers. The Dundalk Company was formed to plan a town in the new style, similar to that of the Roland Park area of Baltimore, excluding businesses except at specific spots and leaving land for future development of schools, playing fields, and parks. By 1917 Dundalk proper was founded, at which point it had 62 houses, two stores, a post office, and a telephone exchange. Streets were laid out in a pedestrian-friendly open grid, with monikers like "Shipway", "Northship", "Flagship", and "Admiral". The two-story houses had steeply pitched roofs and stucco exteriors. As the demand for steel increased rapidly during World War 1, white workers streamed into Dundalk, pushing black workers into a small community nearby named Turner Station. Turner Station expanded even more during World War II as demand for steel increased even more.[3]

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Choose the Right Electrical Vocational School near Dundalk MD

Selecting the ideal electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare among the training programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician tech school that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides different options for certification also. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Dundalk MD.