Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Roanoke VA 24001

How to Become an Electrician in Roanoke Virginia

Roanoke VA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Roanoke VA. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly since there are a number of points to examine. For example, many potential students will begin by searching for schools that are nearby their residence. When they have found several that are within driving distance, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the only qualifications that must be examined. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate decision when picking an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are accessible.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Roanoke VA

Roanoke VA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general options to receive electrician training in a trade or technical school near Roanoke VA. You can select a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you wish to become certified. Following are short descriptions of the three most typical programs available.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically offered by Virginia vocational and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards those who would like to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees require 2 years to finish and are offered by Virginia junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some Virginia institutions, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Guidelines

Roanoke VA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Roanoke VA can carry out a vast array of services, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly about four to five years of prior experience is needed before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly test electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and can be earned in various specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes 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 crucial that the electrician vocational school that you select not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Schools Online in Roanoke VA

attending electrician school online in Roanoke VA An alternative that you may have considered is choosing an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning might be a more convenient choice for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit many online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Roanoke VA are also minimized and some of the study materials can be available online also. All of these benefits can make online electrician trade schools more affordable and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Training Schools

Roanoke VA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Roanoke VA area, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. The first two that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research before selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. Many electrician vocational programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Make certain that the Roanoke VA 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 make certain that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Also, a number of states mandate 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 lower completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It might also signify that the teachers 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 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 affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Roanoke VA students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician training programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have working partnerships with Roanoke VA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Roanoke VA electrical contracting company if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Roanoke residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be increased 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 large they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to several of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Roanoke VA, 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 allows part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Roanoke VA?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Roanoke VA area.

Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is the largest municipality in Southwest Virginia, and is the principal municipality of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which had a 2010 population of 308,707. It is composed of the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem, and Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke counties. Bisected by the Roanoke River, Roanoke is the commercial and cultural hub of much of Southwest Virginia and portions of Southern West Virginia.[7][8]

The town first called Big Lick was established in 1852 and chartered in 1874. It was named for a large outcropping of salt which drew the wildlife to the site near the Roanoke River.[32] In 1882 it became the town of Roanoke, and in 1884 it was chartered as the independent city of Roanoke. The name Roanoke is said to have originated from an Algonquian word for shell "money".[33] The name for the river was that used by the Algonquian speakers who lived 300 miles away where the river emptied into the sea near Roanoke Island. The native people who lived near where the city was founded did not speak Algonquian. They spoke Siouan languages, Tutelo and Catawban. There were also Cherokee speakers in that general area who fought with the Catawba people. The city grew frequently through annexation through the middle of the twentieth century.[34] The last annexation was in 1976. The state legislature has since prohibited cities from annexing land from adjacent counties. Roanoke's location in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the middle of the Roanoke Valley between Maryland and Tennessee, made it the transportation hub of western Virginia and contributed to its rapid growth.

During colonial times the site of Roanoke was an important hub of trails and roads. The Great Indian Warpath which later merged into the colonial Great Wagon Road, one of the most heavily traveled roads of eighteenth century America, ran from Philadelphia through the Shenandoah Valley to the future site of the City of Roanoke, where the Roanoke River passed through the Blue Ridge. The Carolina Road branched off in Cloverdale, Virginia to Boones Mill, Virginia, and on to the Yadkin River Valley. The Roanoke Gap proved a useful route for immigrants to settle the Carolina Piedmont region. At Roanoke Gap, another branch of the Great Wagon Road, the Wilderness Road, continued southwest to Tennessee.

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Choose the Right Electrician Trade School near Roanoke VA

Selecting the right electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrician tech school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Roanoke VA.