Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Levittown PA 19054

How to Become an Electrician in Levittown Pennsylvania

Levittown PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Levittown PA. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are so many points to evaluate. For example, some potential students will commence by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. After they have located a few that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though location and cost are important, they are not the sole qualifications that need to be evaluated. Also important 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 picking an electrician trade school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are available.

Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options near Levittown PA

Levittown PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to get electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Levittown PA. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Often these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to be licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are short explanations of the 3 most prevalent programs offered.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are geared towards those who wish to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees take two years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain Pennsylvania institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites

Levittown PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Levittown PA can perform a vast array of functions, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams usually evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be earned in numerous specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure 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 imperative that the electrician vocational school that you select not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you might need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Training Classes Online in Levittown PA

attending electrician school online in Levittown PA An option that you might have considered is selecting an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, distance learning may be a more accommodating alternative for individuals that have limited time for education. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Travelling costs from Levittown PA are also reduced and a portion of the study materials may be available online also. All of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.

Topics to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools

Levittown PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to focus your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Levittown PA area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to analyze before enrolling in an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. Many electrician trade programs have earned 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. Confirm that the Levittown PA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you receive a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, many states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools 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 signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It could also mean that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may produce more contacts for the school to use 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 Levittown PA students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Levittown PA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Levittown PA electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Additionally bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Levittown home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there may be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Levittown PA, 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 permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Levittown PA?

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

Levittown, Pennsylvania

Levittown is a census-designated place (CDP) and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census.[2] It is 40 feet (12 m) above sea level. Though not a municipality, it is sometimes recognized as the largest suburb of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania[3] (while Upper Darby Township, Lower Merion Township, Bensalem Township, Abington Township and Bristol Township are municipalities larger in size in the three surrounding Pennsylvania counties). Starting with land purchased in 1951, it was planned and built by Levitt & Sons. The brothers Bill Levitt and architect Alfred Levitt designed its six typical houses.

The majority of the land on which it is built was purchased in 1951. Levitt and Sons only built six models of houses in Levittown, all single-family dwellings with lawns: the Levittowner, the Rancher, the Jubilee, the Pennsylvanian, the Colonial and the Country Clubber, with only modest exterior variations within each model. The homes were moderately priced and required only a low down payment. Construction of Levittown began in February 1952, soon after completion of Levittown, New York, located on Long Island. Levittown, Pennsylvania was the second "Levittown" built by William J. Levitt, who is often credited as the creator of the modern American suburb. To speed up construction, Levitt & Sons perfected a 26-step rationalized building method that was essentially an assembly line type of home building. The house remained stationary, while the construction workers moved from house to house. Each worker had one task such as pouring slabs, framing, installing electric sockets or installing washing machines. This highly regimented process enabled Levitt's workers to produce a finished house every 16 minutes. Construction of the homes commenced in 1952 and when completed in 1958, 17,311 homes were built.

What set Levittown apart from other developments at the time was that it was built as a complete community. Levitt & Sons designed neighborhoods with traffic-calming curvilinear roads, in which there were no four-way intersections. Each neighborhood had within its boundaries a site donated by Levitt & Sons for a public elementary school. Locations for churches and other public facilities were set aside on main thoroughfares such as the Levittown Parkway, likewise donated by the builder to religious groups and other organizations. Other amenities included Olympic-sized public pools, parks, "greenbelts", baseball fields and playgrounds, and a shopping center located in neighboring Tullytown borough that was considered large and modern at the time of its construction (and in fact was the largest east of the Mississippi). The first set of four sample homes were put on display in a swatch of land near the future Levittown Shop-a-Rama, and an estimated 30,000 people viewed them in that first weekend.[4]

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Choose the Ideal Electrician Technical School near Levittown PA

Picking the best electrical trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are examining includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every training program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Probably The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Levittown PA.