Questions to Ask Electrician Technical Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nNow that you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Considering that there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Monterey VA area, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The initial two that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research before selecting an electrical trade school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Numerous electrician vocational programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the Monterey VA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you get a superior education, it may help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.<\/p>\nHigh Completion and Placement Rates. <\/strong>Ask the electrician training programs you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate could suggest that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It could also indicate that the teachers were not competent to train the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and\/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Monterey VA grads obtain apprenticeships or jobs.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>Many electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have referring relationships with Monterey VA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Make certain that the campus facilities and the tools 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 specialist you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Monterey VA electrical company if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Monterey residence. Remember 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 desirable that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Monterey VA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Monterey VA?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Monterey VA area.<\/p>\n
Monterey, Virginia<\/h3>
The selection of Monterey as the county seat of Highland County in 1847 was associated with the blazing of the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike in 1838. The new town was named in commemoration of the Battle of Monterrey, Mexico (September 21\u201324, 1846) in which General (and future President) Zachary Taylor gained a key victory for the United States in the Mexican\u2013American War (1846\u20131848).[4]Monterey is a Spanish word meaning \"mountain of the king\".[4][5]<\/p>
Monterey is located on U.S. Route 250, which was built through the area in the 1840s as a portion of the historic Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike which linked the upper Shenandoah Valley with the Ohio River.[8] The town of Monterey is heavily dependent on agriculture and on niche tourism generated from its many events and shops catering to tourists visiting for the tranquility and mountain air. The biggest festival is the Highland County Maple Festival, held on the second and third weekends of March, which brings roughly 50,000 visitors to the area.<\/p>
As of the 2010 census[11], there were 147 people, 79 households, and 46 families residing in the town. The population density was 490 people per square mile (183.8\/km\u00b2). There were 121 housing units at an average density of 403.3 per square mile (151.25\/km\u00b2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.6% White, 0.7% Native American, and 0.7% Black or African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.<\/p><\/div>\n