Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Lehigh Acres FL 33936

How to Become an Electrician in Lehigh Acres Florida

Lehigh Acres FL electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Lehigh Acres FL. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are so many variables to consider. For instance, many prospective students will start by looking for schools that are close to their residence. After they have identified some that are within commuting range, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are of importance, they are not the sole things that need to be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your final decision when picking an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are available.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Lehigh Acres FL

Lehigh Acres FL electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several ways to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Lehigh Acres FL. You can select a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three options. In many cases these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by most states to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by Florida technical and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to complete and are offered by Florida community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at some Florida institutions, but are less popular at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be completed before licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites

Lehigh Acres FL electricians working on power lines Electricians in Lehigh Acres FL can perform a vast array of functions, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally about four to five years of prior experience is needed in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually entails 3 levels of competency:

An experience requirement
Passing a written exam
Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you select not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might be required to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online in Lehigh Acres FL

attending electrician school online in Lehigh Acres FL A possibility that you may have contemplated is choosing an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online schools are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning can be a more accommodating alternative for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Travelling costs from Lehigh Acres FL are also minimized and a portion of the study materials may be accessed on line also. Each of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Lehigh Acres FL electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your school options. Considering that there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Lehigh Acres FL 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 the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are additional variables that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research prior to choosing an electrical vocational school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the Lehigh Acres FL program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you acquire a quality education, it may assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It could also suggest that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, 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 validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Lehigh Acres FL grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring partnerships with Lehigh Acres FL area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes employment opportunities and helps to build relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. 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 on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Lehigh Acres FL electrical contractor if they can provide some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Lehigh Acres residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk to several of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to some of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Lehigh Acres FL, confirm that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Lehigh Acres FL?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Lehigh Acres FL area.

Lehigh Acres, Florida

Lehigh Acres is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The US Census Bureau of 2010 had the CDP's population at 86,784. Lehigh Acres is a part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Lehigh Acres is located at 26°36′30″N 81°38′21″W / 26.60833°N 81.63917°W / 26.60833; -81.63917 (26.608333, -81.639167).[3] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 95.98 square miles (248.6 km2), of which 94.89 square miles (245.8 km2) is land and 1.09 square miles (2.8 km2) (1.14%) is water.

Lehigh Acres was developed in the mid-1950s by Chicago businessman Lee Ratner. Seeking a tax shelter, Ratner had sold his pest control business and faced the possibility of losing most of his earnings to the high capital gains tax of that era. Ratner heard that cattle was a good investment for people in his predicament, and he bought 18,000 acres (73 km²) of land in eastern Lee County and named it the Lucky Lee Ranch. After ranching for a while, and despite having no prior development experience, Ratner joined with Gerald H. Gould, a Florida advertising executive, Manuel Riskin, a Chicago CPA, and Edward Shapiro, a former Chicagoan who was in the real estate business in California, and began land sales at Lehigh Acres.[citation needed]

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Find the Ideal Electrical Tech School near Lehigh Acres FL

Choosing the right electrical training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician tech school that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every program offers different options for certification as well. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Lehigh Acres FL.