How to Become an Electrician in Lexington Mississippi
The first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Lexington MS. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially since there are so many points to evaluate. For example, many prospective students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. When they have identified several that are within driving distance, they will choose the one with the most affordable tuition. While location and cost are significant, they are not the only qualifications that must be considered. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should influence your ultimate judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training options that are offered.
Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Lexington MS
There are three general ways to receive electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Lexington MS. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Often these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states in order to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Following are short summaries of the three most prevalent programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually provided by Mississippi trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who wish to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees involve 2 years to finish and are offered by Mississippi junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at certain Mississippi colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be performed prior to licensing. Therefore, most students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Guidelines
Electricians in Lexington MS can carry out a wide range of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but usually about four to five years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams commonly assess general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be obtained in numerous specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails three 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician vocational school that you choose not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online in Lexington MS
An option that you might have contemplated is enrolling in an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs have become more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning may be a more accommodating alternative for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Commuting costs from Lexington MS are also lessened and some of the study materials may be available online as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.
Things to Ask Electrician Trade Schools
Now that you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Since there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Lexington MS area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first two that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are other variables that must be taken into account also. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Lexington MS school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it may assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, some states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited in order 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 finish the course. A low completion rate may signify that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It might also mean that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which may produce 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 trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Lexington MS graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have referring partnerships with Lexington MS area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the tools 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 Lexington MS electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Lexington home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Speak to a few of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with some of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Lexington MS, confirm that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Lexington MS?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Lexington MS area.
Lexington, Mississippi
Lexington is a city in and the county seat of Holmes County, Mississippi, United States. The county was organized in 1833 and the city in 1836. The population was 1,731 at the 2010 census,[2] down from 2,025 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2016 was 1,573.[1] It has declined with the growth of industrial agriculture. Many people have left the rural county to seek work elsewhere.[citation needed]
Incorporated in 1836, the city of Lexington was founded by European-American settlers after most of the Choctaw people, who had long occupied this area, were forced to cede their land to the United States and remove to the Indian Territory. The new settlers initially developed riverfront land along the Yazoo and Black rivers for cotton plantations, primarily worked by enslaved African Americans. The slaves were brought by planters with them from the Upper South or transported in the domestic slave trade. In total, more than one million African Americans were transported to the Deep South, breaking up many families. The African-descended slaves soon constituted the majority of the Holmes County population.
On court days, the town served as a trading center for the county and attracted retail merchants. Lexington was a destination in the 1830s of some German-Jewish immigrants, who often became merchants. They were joined much later in the century by Russian Jewish immigrants. The Jewish community built Temple Beth El in Lexington in 1905; it closed in 2009 because of declining population.[3] During the plantation era, the city was bustling, as planters grew wealthy from the booming demand for cotton in the North and Europe.
Enroll in the Ideal Electrical Vocational School near Lexington MS
Picking the right electrician 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 factors that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Lexington MS.
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