Find Electrician Schools Near Me in York PA 17401

How to Become an Electrician in York Pennsylvania

York PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near York PA. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are so many variables to evaluate. For instance, some prospective students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their residence. After they have located a few that are within driving range, they will choose the one with the least expensive tuition. While cost and location are significant, they are not the only factors that must be considered. 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 choosing an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the instructional choices that are accessible.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options near York PA

York PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to get electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near York PA. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three options. In many cases these programs are offered together with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by most states to become licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are short summaries of the 3 most common programs available.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Pennsylvania trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees involve two years to complete and are provided by Pennsylvania community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some Pennsylvania institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be performed before licensing. For that reason, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Requirements

York PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in York PA can perform a multitude of functions, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but commonly around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing exam. The exams usually evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional means for an electrician to differentiate him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be obtained in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases involves 3 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 important that the electrician tech school that you select not only provides a strong educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online in York PA

attending electrician school online in York PA An alternative that you might have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs have become more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require partial attendance on-campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, internet learning can be a more practical option for students that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Travelling expenses from York PA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be accessed online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.

Topics to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

York PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Because there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the York PA area, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The first two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools 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 a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Make certain that the York PA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a superior education, it can help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved 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 program. A low completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It could also suggest that the teachers were not qualified 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 mean 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 York PA graduates acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician companies or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working relationships with York PA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local York PA electrical company if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your York home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might 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 a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk to some of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with some of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near York PA, confirm that the programs you are comparing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near York PA?

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

York, Pennsylvania

York (Pennsylvania German: Yarrick), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States,[3] located in the south-central region of the state. The population within York's city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862. When combined with the adjacent boroughs of West York and North York and surrounding Spring Garden, West Manchester, and Springettsbury townships, the population of Greater York was 108,386. York is the 11th largest city in Pennsylvania.[4]

The city has been called an "architectural museum,"[5] because the downtown features numerous well-preserved historic structures, such as the 1741 Golden Plough Tavern,[6] the 1751 General Horatio Gates House,[7] the 1766 York Meetinghouse,[8] the 1863 Billmeyer House,[9] the 1888 York Central Market,[10] and the 1907 Moorish Revival Temple Beth Israel. Other notable buildings are the Laurel-Rex Fire Company House, Forry House, Farmers Market, Barnett Bobb House, Cookes House, United Cigar Manufacturing Company building, Stevens School, York Dispatch Newspaper Offices, and York Armory.[11]

York, also known as Yorktown in the mid 18th to early 19th centuries, was founded in 1741 by settlers from the Philadelphia region and named for the English city of the same name. By 1777, most of the area residents were of either German or Scots-Irish descent.[12] York was incorporated as a borough on September 24, 1787, and as a city on January 11, 1887. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), York served as the temporary capital of the Continental Congress. The Articles of Confederation were drafted and adopted in York, though they were not ratified until March 1781.

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Select the Ideal Electrical Technical School near York PA

Choosing the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical tech school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in York PA.