Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Ashland MA 01721

How to Become an Electrician in Ashland Massachusetts

Ashland MA electrician inspecting circuit panelThe first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Ashland MA. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the best one? Particularly because there are a number of variables to consider. For example, some prospective students will commence by searching for schools that are close to their residence. Once they have identified several that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the most affordable tuition. While cost and location are important, they are not the only qualifications that must be examined. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should contribute toward your final decision when choosing an electrician training school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are accessible.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Ashland MA

Ashland MA electrician re-wiring power outletThere are several approaches to receive electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Ashland MA. You can choose a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three options. In many cases these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states to become licensed or if you want to become certified. Bellow are brief explanations of the three most prevalent programs offered.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically provided by Massachusetts trade and technical schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
  • Associate Degrees involve two years to complete and are offered by Massachusetts junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some Massachusetts colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be completed prior to licensing. Therefore, many students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Guidelines

Ashland MA electricians working on power linesElectricians in Ashland MA can undertake a multitude of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with 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 four to five years of practical experience is required before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically assess general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional means for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be earned in several specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually entails 3 levels of competency:

  • An experience requirement
  • Passing a written exam
  • Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying agencies include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician vocational school that you enroll in not only delivers a strong educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online in Ashland MA

attending electrician school online in Ashland MAAn option that you may have considered is selecting an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more prevalent as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be attended online, internet learning might be a more practical choice for individuals that have limited time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Ashland MA are also reduced and some of the study materials can be accessed online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Ashland MA electrician re-wiring circuit panelOnce you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your training options. Because there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Ashland MA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The first two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation.  A large number of electrician technical schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Ashland MA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you acquire a superior education, it may help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, 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 training programs you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It might also signify that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Ashland MA graduates acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs.  Many electrician trade programs are taught together 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 companies or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Ashland MA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities.  Confirm that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Ashland MA electrical contractor if they can provide some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Ashland home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes.   It’s important that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Speak with a few of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling.  Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Ashland MA, verify that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Ashland MA?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Ashland MA area.

Ashland, Massachusetts

The area now known as Ashland was settled in the early 18th century and inhabited prior to that by the Megunko Native Americans, to which Megunko Hill owes its name. Previously known as "Unionville," Ashland was incorporated in 1846, bearing the name of statesman Henry Clay's Kentucky estate. It is considerably younger than many of the surrounding towns, as Ashland's territory was taken in near-equal parts from the previously established towns of Hopkinton, Holliston, and Framingham.

The construction of the Boston & Worcester Railroad, later the Boston & Albany, in the 1830s was key to the early development of the town. Decades later, two other rail lines opened stations in Ashland. Along with the Sudbury River, the railroad helped to attract numerous mills to develop a bustling boot and shoe industry. However, by constructing three reservoirs along the river in 1878, the Boston Water Board inadvertently stymied further growth, most notably by halting the construction of the Dwight Printing Company's granite mills.[3] Although the mills closed, starting in the 1890s the Hopkinton Railroad Company, providing a connection to Milford, and the Natick Street Railway, which operated streetcars between the towns of Sherborn, Framingham, and Natick, offered service in Ashland.[4] These rail lines were gone by the 1920s, rendered obsolete by automobiles.[4]

Around the same time that the local rail lines were in decline, the inventor Henry E. Warren developed the Warren Synchronizing Timer in 1916, which made synchronous electric clocks possible by keeping alternating current flowing from power plants at a consistent sixty cycles per second.[5] Warren founded Telechron, which, in partnership with General Electric, manufactured electric clocks in Ashland until 1979.[6] A Warren Synchronizing Timer is on display at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History in Washington D.C.,[7] and the Ashland High School sports teams are coined "The Clockers."

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Choose the Right Electrical Vocational School near Ashland MA

Choosing the ideal electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrical 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 own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line 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. Each program offers unique options for certification as well. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Ashland MA.

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