Topics to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nOnce you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Since there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the West Point VA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional factors that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research before enrolling in an electrical tech school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Many electrician technical schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the West Point VA 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 ensure that you get a superior education, it may help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, many states mandate that the electrician training program 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 portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate might indicate that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It could also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have higher 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 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 field, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist West Point VA students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>Most electrician vocational programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have working relationships with West Point VA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Make sure that the campus 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 already in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical tech you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local West Point VA electrical company if they can provide some suggestions. Also keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your West Point residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.<\/p>\nSmaller Classes. <\/strong>It’s desirable that you get as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Speak with some of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to some of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near West Point VA, check that the schools you are comparing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near West Point VA?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the West Point VA area.<\/p>\n
West Point, Virginia<\/h3>
West Point is located at 37\u00b032\u203237\u2033N 76\u00b048\u203219\u2033W\ufeff \/ \ufeff37.54361\u00b0N 76.80528\u00b0W\ufeff \/ 37.54361; -76.80528 (37.543733, \u221276.805366).[3] The York River is formed at West Point by the confluence of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers; from there, it separates the Virginia Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of eastern Virginia as it flows approximately 40 miles to the Chesapeake Bay.<\/p>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7\u00a0square miles (17.2\u00a0km\u00b2), of which, 5.2\u00a0square miles (13.3\u00a0km\u00b2) of it is land and 1.5\u00a0square miles (4.0\u00a0km\u00b2) of it (23.12%) is water.<\/p>
The current site of West Point was once the site of Cinquoteck, a Native American village of the local Mattaponi, an Algonquian-speaking tribe affiliated with the Powhatan Confederacy. During the first half of the 17th century, the Confederacy and the English colonists who established their first permanent settlement at Jamestown in 1607 were frequently in conflict. By mid-century, the Natives had been largely overcome, including the area of Cinquoteck, by the ever-expanding Colony of Virginia.<\/p><\/div>\n