Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Greencastle PA 17225

How to Become an Electrician in Greencastle Pennsylvania

Greencastle PA electrician inspecting circuit panelThe initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Greencastle PA. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are so many factors to evaluate. For instance, many students will start by looking for schools that are close to their residence. After they have found some that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the only things that should be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should influence your final judgment when selecting an electrician trade 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 becoming an electrician and the educational options that are offered.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Programs near Greencastle PA

Greencastle PA electrician re-wiring power outletThere are multiple approaches to receive electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Greencastle PA. You can enroll in 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. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to become licensed or if you wish to become certified. Bellow are brief descriptions of the 3 most common programs offered.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards individuals who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
  • Associate Degrees take 2 years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be performed prior to licensing. Because of that, most students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Requirements

Greencastle PA electricians working on power linesElectricians in Greencastle PA can undertake a wide range of functions, such as 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 become licensed in most municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but usually around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be obtained in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases entails 3 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) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician vocational school that you pick not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Training Classes in Greencastle PA

attending electrician school online in Greencastle PAA possibility that you may have considered is selecting an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online schools have become more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not totally 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 can be accessed online, distance learning might be a more practical choice for students that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Driving costs from Greencastle PA are also lessened and some of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.

Topics to Ask Electrician Training Schools

Greencastle PA electrician re-wiring circuit panelOnce you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Greencastle PA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The first 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to selecting an electrical tech school.

Accreditation.  Many electrician trade schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Make certain that the Greencastle PA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you obtain a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, many states require 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 considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate may indicate that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It may also signify that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which may result in more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Greencastle PA graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs.  Numerous electrician vocational programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Greencastle PA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities.  Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Greencastle PA electrical company if they can give you some tips. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Greencastle home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes.   It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Speak with several of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling.  Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Greencastle PA, verify that the programs you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Greencastle PA?

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

Greencastle, Pennsylvania

Greencastle was founded in 1782 by John Allison from the Barkdoll House. The town was named after Greencastle, County Donegal, Ireland.[4] It was originally composed of 246 lots. By 1790 there were about 60 houses in Greencastle, homes to approximately 400 people. The town of Greencastle had grown by the mid-nineteenth century to 1,125 residents.

In 1845, following the succession crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement, Sidney Rigdon (one of the three main contenders along with James Strang and Brigham Young for leadership of the Latter Day Saints following the death of Joseph Smith) took his followers to Pennsylvania and formed a Rigdonite Mormon settlement at Greencastle. This settlement had approximately 200 followers.[5] They founded the New Jerusalem settlement between Greencastle and Mercersburg, published the Conochoheague Herald newspaper in Greencastle,[6] and made plans for the construction of a temple. The Rigdonite Mormon settlement at Greencastle only lasted a few years; some former Rigdon followers went to Utah to join Brigham Young, while William Bickerton, who had opposed Rigdon's move to Greencastle, would eventually reorganize the remaining Pennsylvania branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in Pittsburgh as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite).

Early in the Civil War, Greencastle and neighboring Franklin County communities raised the 126th Pennsylvania Infantry. In the summer of 1863, the war touched close to home when Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia invaded southern Pennsylvania in what became known as the Gettysburg Campaign. From mid-June to early July, those residents of Greencastle who had not fled to safety lived under Confederate rule. On July 2, concurrent with the Battle of Gettysburg in neighboring Adams County, Captain Ulric Dahlgren's Federal cavalry patrol galloped into Greencastle's town square, where they surprised and captured several Confederate cavalrymen carrying vital correspondence from Richmond.[7][8] After the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee's army began its retreat to Virginia on July 4 and 5. He sent John D. Imboden's cavalry to escort a large wagon train carrying Confederate wounded. The train, nearly 18 miles (29 km) in length, wound its way through the streets of Greencastle, where a few men of the town attacked the wagon train with axes and hatchets. They succeeded in disabling several wagons before Confederate cavalry chased them away.

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Choose the Ideal Electrician Trade School near Greencastle PA

Picking the ideal electrical training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrician training program that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every training program offers different options for certification as well. Probably The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend some 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 right training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Greencastle PA.

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