Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Temple PA 19560

How to Become an Electrician in Temple Pennsylvania

Temple PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Temple PA. But with so many technical schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are a number of variables to evaluate. For example, many students will commence by searching for schools that are close to their home. When they have identified a few that are within commuting range, they will pick the one with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant, they are not the sole qualifications that need to be evaluated. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your ultimate decision when choosing an electrician school. We will cover 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 options that are accessible.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Temple PA

Temple PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to get electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Temple PA. You may select 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 first three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to become licensed or if you would like to become certified. Bellow are short descriptions of the 3 most typical programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Pennsylvania technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to complete and are provided by Pennsylvania community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, many students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Criteria

Temple PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Temple PA can perform a wide range of functions, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure 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 states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally about four to five years of prior experience is needed before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be earned in various specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually entails 3 levels of competency:

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 crucial that the electrician trade school that you pick not only furnishes a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Programs in Temple PA

attending electrician school online in Temple PA An option that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning may be a more practical option for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Commuting expenses from Temple PA are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can be available online as well. All of these advantages can make electrician online tech schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Temple PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to focus your school options. Considering that there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Temple PA area, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The initial 2 that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are additional variables that need to be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make certain that the Temple PA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you obtain a quality education, it can assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, some 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 reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate might suggest that students were dissatisfied with the program and quit. It may also indicate that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of graduates, which can result in more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Temple PA graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.

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

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using on the job. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Temple PA electrical company if they can provide some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you can move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Temple residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one 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 large they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak with several of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with some of the instructors and learn 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 evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Temple PA, verify that the schools you are considering offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Temple PA?

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

Temple University

Temple University (Temple or TU) is a state-related research university located in the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by Baptist Minister Russell Conwell. In 1882, Conwell came to Pennsylvania to lead the Grace Baptist Church while he began tutoring working class citizens late at night to accommodate their work schedules. These students, later dubbed "night owls", were taught in the basement of Conwell's Baptist Temple, hence the origin of the university's name and mascot. By 1907, the institution revised its institutional status and was incorporated as a university.[8][9]

As of 2017, more than 40,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students were enrolled in more than 500 academic degree programs offered at sites across the globe, including eight campuses across Pennsylvania, Rome, and Tokyo.[10] Temple is among the world's largest providers of professional education (law, medicine, podiatry, pharmacy, dentistry, and architecture), preparing the largest body of professional practitioners in Pennsylvania.[11][12]

Temple University was founded in 1884 by Russell Conwell, a Yale-educated Boston lawyer, orator, and ordained Baptist minister, who had served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Conwell came to Pennsylvania in 1882 to lead the Grace Baptist Church while he began tutoring working class citizens late at night to accommodate their work schedules. These students, later dubbed "night owls," were taught in the basement of Conwell's Baptist Temple, hence the origin of the university's name and mascot. The Grace Baptist Church quickly grew popular within the North Philadelphia area. A temporary board of trustees was created to handle the rapidly growing formalities associated with the church's programs. When the board conducted its first meeting they named Russell H. Conwell president of "The Temple College." Within the following months, Grace Baptist Church appointed a new board of trustees, printed official admissions files, and issued stock to raise funds for new teaching facilities. Regardless of whether they had the resources to support the school, Conwell’s desire was “to give education to those who were unable to get it through the usual channels”.[13]

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Find the Right Electrician Tech School near Temple PA

Choosing the best electrical training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrical training program that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification as well. Probably The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Temple PA.