Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Piqua OH 45356

How to Become an Electrician in Piqua Ohio

Piqua OH electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Piqua OH. But with numerous vocational schools to pick from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, many prospective students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their residence. Once they have found several that are within driving distance, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. Although location and cost are important, they are not the sole factors that need to be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifiers should help mold your final decision when choosing an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training choices that are available.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Piqua OH

Piqua OH electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several approaches to obtain electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Piqua OH. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at some schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Bellow are short summaries of the three most common programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Ohio vocational and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who wish to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees require two years to finish and are offered by Ohio community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Ohio colleges, but are less popular at four years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria

Piqua OH electricians working on power lines Electricians in Piqua OH can perform a vast array of services, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams commonly test electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional method for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and can be obtained in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually entails 3 levels of proficiency:

An experience requirement
Passing a written exam
Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician tech school that you enroll in not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you may need to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Programs in Piqua OH

attending electrician school online in Piqua OH An alternative that you might have contemplated is selecting an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools have become more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning might be a more accommodating option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Travelling expenses from Piqua OH are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be available on line also. All of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools

Piqua OH electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Since there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Piqua OH 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 have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be important when making your determination, there are additional factors that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess before enrolling in an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician trade programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn 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 Piqua OH program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you get a quality education, it may assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Also, some states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate may signify that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It might also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to instruct 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 alumni, 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 validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Piqua OH students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician training programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Piqua OH area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Piqua OH electrical contractor if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Piqua home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in 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 important that you receive as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with a few of the students and get their comments concerning 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. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Piqua OH, verify that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, 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, illness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Piqua OH?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Piqua OH area.

Piqua, Ohio

In 1747, Fort Pickawillany was constructed by the British to protect their trading post at a Miami village of the same name. It was located at the confluence of Loramie Creek and the Great Miami River. (The present city of Piqua developed about a mile to the southwest).

In 1752 Charles de Langlade, an Odawa war chief of partial French Canadian descent, attacked the fort. He led more than 240 Odawa and Ojibwe warriors allied with French forces against the British and the Miami village in the Battle of Pickawillany. The Miami chief and a British trader were killed in the conflict.

After the battle, the British and Miami abandoned this site. The Miami rebuilt Pickawillany, and Piqua later developed near their village. The British soon took over the area after defeating the French in the Seven Years' War (1754-1763), known in British North America as the French and Indian War.

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Choose the Right Electrician Tech School near Piqua OH

Selecting the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrician training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Piqua OH.