Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Ashland PA 17921

How to Become an Electrician in Ashland Pennsylvania

Ashland PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Ashland PA. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly since there are so many variables to consider. For example, some potential students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their residence. Once they have identified several that are within commuting range, they will choose the one with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are important, they are not the sole 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 additional qualifications should help mold your ultimate judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training choices that are available.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Ashland PA

Ashland PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general options to receive electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Ashland PA. You can choose a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Bellow are brief explanations of the 3 most prevalent programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who wish to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs require two years to complete and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Pennsylvania institutions, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be carried out prior to licensing. Therefore, most students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician License and Certification Requirements

Ashland PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Ashland PA can carry out a vast array of services, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure 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 states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional method for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be earned in various specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases 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 enroll in not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Schools in Ashland PA

attending electrician school online in Ashland PA A possibility that you may have looked at is choosing an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, internet learning may be a more convenient alternative for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Driving costs from Ashland PA are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can be accessed online also. All of these advantages can make electrician online tech schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Ashland PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to focus your school options. Because there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Ashland PA area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The first 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. 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 important when making your decision, there are other variables that must be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to choosing an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. Many electrician technical programs 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 pertains to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make sure that the Ashland PA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you obtain a superior education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, many states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved 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 of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate could indicate that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It may also mean that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which can mean 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 industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Ashland PA graduates secure apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught in conjunction 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 electrical companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Ashland PA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also furnishes 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 trained 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 tech you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Ashland PA electrical company if they can provide some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Ashland residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get 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 see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with some of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Ashland PA, confirm that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Ashland PA?

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

Ashland, Pennsylvania

Ashland is a borough in Schuylkill County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Pottsville. A small part of the borough also lies in Columbia County, although all of the population resided in the Schuylkill County portion as of the 2010 census. The borough lies in the anthracite coal region of eastern Pennsylvania. Settled in 1850, Ashland was incorporated in 1857, and was named for Henry Clay's estate near Lexington, Kentucky. The population in 1900 was 6,438, and in 1940, 7,045, but had dropped to 2,817 at the 2010 census.[3]

For a long time after southern Pennsylvania was settled, the area that is now Ashland was mostly wilderness except for a hotel in the area in 1820. A prominent citizen of the county, Burd S. Patterson, however, predicted that the area would eventually become a prominent mining town. In 1845, John P. Brock and James Hart joined Patterson in buying 800 acres (320 ha) of land in the Ashland area. In 1846, a group of miners led by Patrick Devine developed coal seams in veins in the area. However, the town progressed little over the next three years. By 1857, though, the town had 3,500 people, and Ashland became a borough, detaching itself from Butler Township. The first post office was built in 1853, and the first church was built in 1855.[6]

The Mothers' Memorial is located at the junction of Pennsylvania Route 54 and Pennsylvania Route 61. The Mothers' Memorial is a bronze reproduction of the famous James Abbott McNeill Whistler artistic painting: An Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, commonly known as "Whistler's Mother". The WPA-Built Mothers' Memorial honors all mothers of the United States and it's the only one of its kind in the world.[7] The Mothers' Memorial was commissioned and erected during the misery of the Great Depression in the United States by the Ashland Boys' Association and it was dedicated on Sunday, September 4, 1938, during Labor Day weekend. President Franklin D. Roosevelt economic recovery plan of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed the historical stone masonry work.[8]

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Select the Right Electrician Vocational School near Ashland PA

Selecting the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are evaluating includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program provides different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Ashland PA.