What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nNow that you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Since there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Mesa AZ region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The first two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are additional factors that must be taken into account also. Following is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to choosing an electrical trade school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Numerous electrician vocational schools have earned 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 pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Mesa AZ school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you receive an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Also, a number of states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.<\/p>\nHigh Completion and Placement Rates. <\/strong>Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may indicate that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It may also signify that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and\/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which may 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 an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Mesa AZ students obtain apprenticeships or jobs.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>Most electrician trade programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Mesa AZ area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Make sure that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Mesa AZ electrical company if they can provide some tips. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Mesa home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in 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 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 some of the students and get their opinions regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with a few of the instructors 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 meet your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Mesa AZ, verify that the programs you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Mesa AZ?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Mesa AZ area.<\/p>\n
Mesa, Arizona<\/h3>
Mesa (\/\u02c8me\u026as\u0259\/ MAY-s\u0259) is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a suburb located about 20 miles (32\u00a0km) east of Phoenix. Mesa is the central city of the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community on the north, Chandler and Gilbert on the south along with Queen Creek, and Apache Junction on the east.\n<\/p>
Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson, and the 36th-largest city in the US. The city is home to 439,041 people as of 2010 according to the Census Bureau. Mesa is home to numerous higher education facilities including the Polytechnic campus of Arizona State University.\n<\/p>
The history of Mesa dates back at least 2,000 years to the arrival of the Hohokam people. The Hohokam, whose name means \"All Used Up\" or \"The Departed Ones\", built the original canal system. The canals were the largest and most sophisticated in the prehistoric New World. Some were up to 90 feet (27\u00a0m) wide and 10 feet (3.0\u00a0m) deep at their head gates, extending for as far as 16 miles (26\u00a0km) across the desert. By A.D. 1100 water could be delivered to an area over 110,000 acres (450\u00a0km2), transforming the Sonoran Desert into an agricultural oasis. By A.D. 1450, the Hohokam had constructed hundreds of miles of canals many of which are still in use today.[4]<\/p><\/div>\n