Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Cedarburg WI 53012

How to Become an Electrician in Cedarburg Wisconsin

Cedarburg WI electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Cedarburg WI. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are so many variables to evaluate. For instance, some potential students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their home. After they have found several that are within driving range, they will pick the one with the cheapest tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the sole qualifications that should be examined. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should help mold your final decision when choosing an electrician trade school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the training choices that are available.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Programs near Cedarburg WI

Cedarburg WI electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general approaches to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Cedarburg WI. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. Often these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the 3 most typical programs offered.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are typically provided by Wisconsin trade and technical schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards students who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees involve 2 years to complete and are provided by Wisconsin community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are offered at some Wisconsin colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be performed prior to licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician License and Certification Criteria

Cedarburg WI electricians working on power lines Electricians in Cedarburg WI can undertake a multitude of functions, such as 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 required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally about four to five years of experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams commonly evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means 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 several specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process 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) 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 delivers a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools in Cedarburg WI

attending electrician school online in Cedarburg WI An alternative that you might have looked at is enrolling in an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online training programs have become more prevalent as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be attended online, distance learning might be a more accommodating alternative for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus many online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Cedarburg WI are also reduced and some of the study materials may be available online also. Each of these advantages can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Trade Schools

Cedarburg WI electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Cedarburg WI area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The first two that we mentioned 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 although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional factors that must be considered as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research before enrolling in an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. Many electrician trade schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Cedarburg WI program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you acquire a quality education, it may help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, many 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 looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the course and dropped out. It may also mean that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high 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 use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Cedarburg WI graduates acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician trade programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or labor unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with Cedarburg WI area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the equipment 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, talk to the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Cedarburg WI electrical company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within driving distance of your Cedarburg home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to several of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Cedarburg WI, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Cedarburg WI?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Cedarburg WI area.

Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located about 20 miles (32 km) north of Milwaukee and near the shores of Lake Michigan. The city is bordered by the village of Grafton to the east and the Town of Cedarburg elsewhere. The population was 11,412 at the 2010 census.

The first person to settle in the area was Joseph Gardenier, who built a log shanty on Cedar Creek, in what is now Hamilton. The shanty was his headquarters for surveying for the construction of the Green Bay Road.[6] William Ludwig Groth (Ludwig Groth) is usually credited with being the first settler. He purchased land from the government on October 22, 1842, and began platting the banks of Cedar Creek. Frederick August Leuning, who immigrated to the area in 1843, built a cabin near Cedar Creek on what was later the east end of the city. He called the cabin "Cedarburg", which meant "the castle of cedars". Soon afterwards, he built the Columbia Mill on that site.[7] In December 1844 it was agreed that the town be named Cedarburg. Groth envisioned a village along Cedar Creek and parceled out his land for those who would in the future build businesses and settle permanently.[8] Groth eventually included all of north Cedarburg, everything above the interurban tracks to Bridge St. and from 3rd St. to Jefferson Ave. His untimely death in 1850 kept him from continuing land developments.[9]

In 1845, Frederick Hilgen and William Schroeder saw what Groth had envisioned. After writing to Hilgen's brother-in-law, C. Frederick Boerner, they found financing for further development. Boerner loaned Hilgen and Schroeder thousands of dollars at half the going rate to develop the village of Cedarburg. They had built a gristmill on Cedar Creek. After eleven years of operation, they replaced the original structure with the five-story, stone Cedarburg Mill, which became the focal point of the new community. Five dams and mills were eventually built along the creek in what are now the city and town of Cedarburg. The Hilgen Spring Park, begun in 1854, was a 74-acre (300,000 m2) resort, that attracted visitors from all over the Midwest.[6]

The location could not be found.

Find the Right Electrical Tech School near Cedarburg WI

Selecting the best electrical trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical training program that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Cedarburg WI.