Questions to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nOnce you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Great Falls VA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are additional variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to choosing an electrical tech school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Numerous electrician trade programs 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 relates to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the Great Falls VA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you receive a superior education, it can help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, some 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 percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It may also signify that the instructors were not qualified 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 broader directory 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 will not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Great Falls VA graduates acquire apprenticeships or employment.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>Numerous electrician trade programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and trade schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Check if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Great Falls VA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed 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, consult with the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Great Falls VA electrical contracting company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Great Falls home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might 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 difficult in bigger 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. Talk to a few of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Verify 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 Great Falls VA, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Great Falls VA?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Great Falls VA area.<\/p>\n
Great Falls, Virginia<\/h3>
Great Falls is located at 38\u00b059\u203253\u2033N 077\u00b017\u203218\u2033W\ufeff \/ \ufeff38.99806\u00b0N 77.28833\u00b0W\ufeff \/ 38.99806; -77.28833 (38.9981653, \u221277.2883157) at an elevation of 344 feet (105\u00a0m).[3][8] Located on Virginia State Route 7 in Northern Virginia, Great Falls is 15 miles (24\u00a0km) west-northwest of downtown Washington, D.C. and 10.5 miles (16.9\u00a0km) north of Fairfax, the county seat.[9]<\/p>
Great Falls lies in the Piedmont upland on the right bank of the Potomac River.[10][11] The river forms the northern and eastern border of the CDP, and several of its tributaries flow north and east through the CDP. From north to south, these include Nichols Run, Clarks Branch, and Difficult Run. Difficult Run forms the southeastern border of the CDP. Two of its tributaries, Captain Hickory Run and Piney Run, flow southeast through the southern part of the CDP.[9][11] The Great Falls of the Potomac River, the community's namesake, are on the east side of the CDP.[11]<\/p>
As a suburb of Washington, D.C., Great Falls is a part of both the Washington Metropolitan Area and the larger Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. It is bordered on all sides by other Washington suburbs, including: Darnestown and Travilah, Maryland to the north, Potomac, Maryland to the east, McLean to the southeast, Wolf Trap to the south, Reston and Dranesville to the southwest, Sterling to the west, and Lowes Island to the northwest.[12]<\/p><\/div>\n