Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nNow that you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Latham NY area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are additional factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical technical school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Numerous electrician trade schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the Latham NY school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you acquire a superior education, it can assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, many states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.<\/p>\nHigh Completion and Placement Rates. <\/strong>Ask the electrician schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate could suggest that students were disappointed with the program and quit. It could also indicate that the instructors 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 broader directory of alumni, 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 affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Latham NY students acquire apprenticeships or employment.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>Numerous electrician technical programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and trade programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Latham NY area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also supplies employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. 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 Latham NY electrical company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Latham home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there can be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.<\/p>\nSmaller Classes. <\/strong>It’s important that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging 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 witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to some of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with some of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they hold.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Latham NY, confirm that the programs you are comparing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family emergencies.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Latham NY?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Latham NY area.<\/p>\n
Latham, New York<\/h3>
The area was known at different times in its history as Yearsley's (c. 1829), Van Vranken's (c. 1851), Town House Corners (c. 1860) and Latham's Corners, named after hotel owner William G. Latham. The \"corner\" referred to is now the intersection of Troy-Schenectady Road (NY Route 2) and Old Loudon Road.<\/p>
Before European expansion to North America, Latham was occupied by Mohicans.[3] The Old Loudon Road was built in 1755 during the French and Indian War to bring troops and provisions from Albany to the areas of Lake George and Ticonderoga.[citation needed] The Troy and Schenectady Turnpike was built in 1802 and intersected Old Loudon. An early first resident of this hamlet was Jonas Yearsley, 1785, who later built the first hotel close to this intersection. The hamlet was known first under the name of Yearsley's Corners and years afterward as Van Vrankens Corners in the 1850s. The name changed into Latham when William Latham became owner of the hotel. James, his son, continued to run the hotel until he died on August 14, 1933.<\/p>
The hamlet itself is very narrow east-west and relatively long north-south, centered on the intersection of the Troy-Schenectady Road and Old Loudon Road. As a hamlet its boundaries are inexact though they are marked by the New York State Department of Transportation on the west and east ends on New York Route 2 and on the south end on U.S. Route 9 (US 9). On the west end the hamlet begins near the entrance to the former Latham Circle Mall; on the south end it starts near the Y-intersection of US 9 and Old Loudon Road; and on the east end the border is near the Kiwanis Park. The northern border is the Crescent Bridge crossing the Mohawk River into Halfmoon in Saratoga County. The area normally referred to as \"Latham\" extends well beyond the hamlet itself, as the name is also used for the post office of the 12110 ZIP Code. Many locations often considered in the northern and northeastern parts of Latham are in the Cohoes ZIP Code, while many in the eastern sections use a Watervliet ZIP Code.<\/p><\/div>\n