Points to Ask Electrician Training Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to focus your training options. Since there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Wilmerding PA area, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are additional variables that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to enrolling in an electrical tech school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Many electrician trade programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Wilmerding PA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you acquire an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, many states require that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.<\/p>\nHigh Completion and Placement Rates. <\/strong>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 finish the course. A lower completion rate might suggest that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It might also signify that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also important that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and\/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may mean more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Wilmerding PA students acquire apprenticeships or employment.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Wilmerding PA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Make certain that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Wilmerding PA electrical company if they can provide some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Wilmerding residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added relocation costs there can be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.<\/p>\nSmaller Classes. <\/strong>It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Speak to a few of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to some of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Wilmerding PA, confirm that the schools you are comparing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family issues.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Wilmerding PA?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Wilmerding PA area.<\/p>\n
Wilmerding, Pennsylvania<\/h3>
Wilmerding is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,190 at the 2010 census.[3] It is located 12 miles (19\u00a0km) southeast of Pittsburgh. At the start of the twentieth century, it had extensive foundries and machine shops of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. Wilmerding is adjacent to the borough of Turtle Creek, which takes its name from a small stream that flows past both places.<\/p>
George Westinghouse purchased land in the Turtle Creek valley in 1887 and 1888 as a site for his Westinghouse Air Brake Company and related facilities. Westinghouse then sold the land to the East Pittsburgh Improvement Company, incorporated in December 1888, to develop the site, and it began the sale of lots in June 1889.[4]<\/p>
Wilmerding's most notable historic structure is the Westinghouse Air Brake Company General Office Building (1889\u20131890, rebuilt 1896), designed by Frederick J. Osterling and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5][6]<\/p><\/div>\n