Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Norristown PA 19401

How to Become an Electrician in Norristown Pennsylvania

Norristown PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Norristown PA. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the best one? Particularly because there are a number of factors to evaluate. For example, some prospective students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their residence. Once they have found a few that are within driving range, they will choose the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though location and cost are important, they are not the only things that should be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final judgment when picking an electrician training school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional options that are accessible.

Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options near Norristown PA

Norristown PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple options to receive electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Norristown PA. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Frequently these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states to be licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Bellow are short summaries of the three most common programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who wish to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to finish and are provided by Pennsylvania community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at certain Pennsylvania institutions, but are less favored at 4 years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 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 a component of their educational program.

Electrician License and Certification Guidelines

Norristown PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Norristown PA can carry out a vast array of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring 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 length of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally around 4 to 5 years of practical experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams usually assess general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be obtained in various specialties, 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 agencies 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 choose not only furnishes a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Programs in Norristown PA

attending electrician school online in Norristown PA An alternative that you might have looked at is choosing an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online schools are becoming more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, distance learning can be a more practical option for students that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Norristown PA are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can be accessed on line also. Each of these advantages can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Trade Schools

Norristown PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Norristown 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 have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze before selecting an electrical tech school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician vocational schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make certain that the Norristown PA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you obtain a quality education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Also, many states require that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It could also mean that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which can produce 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 additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Norristown PA students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught together 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 electrician businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working relationships with Norristown PA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Norristown PA electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Norristown home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with some of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with a few of the teachers 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 programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Norristown PA, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Norristown PA?

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

Norristown, Pennsylvania

Norristown is a borough (with home rule status) in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.[3] Located along the Schuylkill River approximately six miles from the Philadelphia city limits, Norristown has a population of 34,324 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. It is the 4th most populous municipality in the county and 2nd most populous borough in Pennsylvania.[4]

Named the county seat in 1784 when Montgomery County was formed, Norristown was incorporated as a borough in 1812 and subsequently enlarged in 1853. About 500 people lived there at the time of its incorporation. Growing rapidly after the Civil War, it swelled to 22,265 people by 1900 and by 1940 it was home to 38,181 Norristonians, making it the most populous borough in Pennsylvania before declining in the decades after World War II.

At its height, Norristown was an industrial, retail, banking, and government center. Breweries, cigar factories, textile mills, icehouses, foundries, rolling mills, and lumber yards provided ample employment for skilled laborers and artisans.[5] The downtown featured two department stores, several theaters, and enough goods and services that residents never had to leave town to find anything they needed.[6] Although primarily settled by the English and a handful of Germans, Scots, Dutch, and Swedes, in the mid-1800s the Irish began arriving in large numbers, followed by waves of Italians at the turn of the century.[7]

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Select the Ideal Electrician Vocational School near Norristown PA

Selecting the right electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type 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 also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Norristown PA.