Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Racine WI 53401

How to Become an Electrician in Racine Wisconsin

Racine WI electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Racine WI. But with so many vocational schools to choose from, just how do you go about making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are a number of points to examine. For example, many students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have found several that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are of importance, they are not the only things that must be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your ultimate decision when picking an electrician school. We will discuss that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are available.

Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs near Racine WI

Racine WI electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to get electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Racine WI. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate 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 in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states in order to be licensed or if you intend to become certified. Following are short explanations of the three most common programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually provided by Wisconsin trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees take 2 years to finish and are provided by Wisconsin junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at some Wisconsin institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Requirements

Racine WI electricians working on power lines Electricians in Racine WI can carry out a wide range of services, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with 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 usually around 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for in order to take the licensing examination. The exams usually test electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be obtained in several specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes 3 levels of proficiency:

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 important that the electrician trade school that you select not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you may be required to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Schools in Racine WI

attending electrician school online in Racine WI An alternative that you might have contemplated is choosing an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more prevalent as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes may be attended online, distance learning may be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus competitors. Travelling expenses from Racine WI are also minimized and some of the study materials can be accessed online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Racine WI electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Racine WI region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The initial two that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature 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 taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to research prior to selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Racine WI school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you obtain an excellent education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, many states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It might also suggest that the teachers 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 result in more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Racine WI students obtain apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught along 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 electrician businesses or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Racine WI area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build 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 working with on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Racine WI electrical contractor if they can give you some suggestions. Also keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Racine home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with a few of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Racine WI, verify that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Racine WI?

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

Racine, Wisconsin

Racine (/rəˈsiːn/ rə-SEEN)[8] is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River.[9] Racine is located 22 miles south of Milwaukee. As of the 2013 U.S. census, the city had a population of 78,199,[10] making it the fifth-largest city in Wisconsin. Its median home price of $103,625[11] makes it one of the most affordable cities in Wisconsin to buy a home. In January 2017, it was rated "the most affordable place to live in the world" by the Demographia International Housing Affordability survey.[12]

Racine is the headquarters of a number of industries, including J. I. Case (heavy equipment), S. C. Johnson & Son (cleaning and chemical products), Dremel Corporation, Reliance Controls Corporation (time controls and transfer switches), Twin Disc, and Arthur B. Modine (Heat Exchangers). The Mitchell & Lewis Company, a wagonmaker in the 19th century, began making motorcycles and automobiles as Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company at the start of the 20th century. Racine is also home to InSinkErator, the first garbage disposal.[13]Malted milk balls were developed in Racine. Architects of the city included A. Arthur Guilbert and Edmund Bailey Funston. It has several immigrant communities.

Native Americans inhabited the area of Racine as early as 10,000 BCE, but most of the artifacts that have survived, such as the burial mounds in what is now Mound Cemetery, date back only to 500 BCE or later. Historians separate the natives living in the Root watershed at that time into Woodland people, who were more common, and Hopewell people, who were more advanced. After European contact, the Miami and later the Potawatomi expanded into the area, taking part in the French fur trade.

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Enroll in the Ideal Electrical Technical School near Racine WI

Picking the best electrical trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification also. Perhaps The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Racine WI.