Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Friendswood TX 77546

How to Become an Electrician in Friendswood Texas

Friendswood TX electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Friendswood TX. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are so many points to consider. For example, some prospective students will commence by looking for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have located a few that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the least expensive tuition. Although cost and location are significant, they are not the only factors that need to be considered. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final judgment when selecting an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational choices that are available.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Friendswood TX

Friendswood TX electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several approaches to obtain electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Friendswood TX. You may enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn 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 made available combined with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you want to become certified. Following are brief summaries of the 3 most common programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually provided by Texas vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who want to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees take 2 years to complete and are provided by Texas junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Texas institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be performed prior to licensing. For that reason, many students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician License and Certification Prerequisites

Friendswood TX electricians working on power lines Electricians in Friendswood TX can perform a multitude of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but typically about four to five years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving 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 earned in numerous specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician trade school that you choose not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might be required to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Programs Online in Friendswood TX

attending electrician school online in Friendswood TX An option that you might have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, distance learning can be a more accommodating option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling costs from Friendswood TX are also reduced and some of the study materials can be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Friendswood TX electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Friendswood TX area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The first two that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are other variables that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to enrolling in an electrical tech school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician vocational schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Friendswood TX school is 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 get a quality education, it may help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, a number of states require 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A lower completion rate may suggest that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified 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 broader list of graduates, which can result in more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Friendswood TX students obtain apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Friendswood TX area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Friendswood TX electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Friendswood residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Speak to some of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Friendswood TX, confirm that the schools you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Additionally, check 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 Friendswood TX?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Friendswood TX area.

Friendswood, Texas

Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris counties. As of the 2010 census, the population of Friendswood was 35,805.[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers a total area of 20.9 square miles (54.1 km2), of which 20.7 square miles (53.7 km2) is land area and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km2), or 0.69%, is water.[6]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 29,037 people, 10,107 households, and 8,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,381.2 people per square mile (533.4/km²). There were 10,405 housing units at an average density of 495.0 per square mile (191.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.09% White, 2.70% African American, 0.40% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.79% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.79% of the population.

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Enroll in the Right Electrical Technical School near Friendswood TX

Selecting the ideal electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical training that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Friendswood TX.