How to Become an Electrician in Jacksonville Illinois
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Jacksonville IL. But with so many vocational schools to pick from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly since there are a number of variables to examine. For instance, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have found a few that are within driving distance, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the only factors that must be examined. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should influence your ultimate judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training options that are available.
Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Programs near Jacksonville IL
There are three general ways to receive electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Jacksonville IL. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. In many cases these programs are offered together with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states to become licensed or if you want to earn certification. Bellow are brief descriptions of the 3 most prevalent programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Illinois technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards those who want to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees require 2 years to complete and are provided by Illinois junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Illinois institutions, but are less preferred at four years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Jacksonville IL can perform a wide range of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in numerous specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases involves three 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician vocational school that you pick not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Programs Online in Jacksonville IL
An alternative that you might have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools have become more prevalent as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, distance learning might be a more convenient alternative for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Driving expenses from Jacksonville IL are also reduced and a portion of the study materials can be accessed online as well. All of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
When you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Jacksonville IL region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be important when making your determination, there are other variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess before enrolling in an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn 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 Jacksonville IL program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping make certain that you get a quality education, it may assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited schools. Also, many states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate might suggest that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It might also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory 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 confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Jacksonville IL grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many 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 inside their network of electrician companies or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Jacksonville IL area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the regional electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be trained 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, talk to the electrical specialist you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Jacksonville IL electrical contractor if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Jacksonville residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can observe 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 a few of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Jacksonville IL, verify that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Jacksonville IL?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Jacksonville IL area.
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County.[5] It is home to Illinois College, MacMurray College, and the Illinois School for the Deaf.
Jacksonville was established by European Americans on a 160-acre tract of land in the center of Morgan County in 1825, two years after the county was founded. The town grew at a rapid rate, and a town square was quickly developed. In 1829, the Presbyterian Reverend John M. Ellis worked to found a new "seminary of learning" in the new state of Illinois. A group of Congregational students at Yale University heard about his plans and headed westward to establish the new school. These students were a part of the famous "Yale Bands," groups of students who established several colleges in the frontier, what is now the Midwest. Illinois College was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Midwest.
The college stimulated the growth of Jacksonville. A new courthouse was built on the square, churches were constructed, railroads were planned, and stores and taverns were built. By 1834, Jacksonville had the largest population of any city in the state of Illinois, vastly outnumbering Chicago (only founded the year before). In the 1830s, the town was on the path of Native Americans who were being forcibly removed by the federal government to west of the Mississippi. The Potawatomi passed through here in 1838 on what they called their Trail of Death as they were forced from their traditional homelands to the dry and barren Indian Territory to the west.
Find the Right Electrical Technical School near Jacksonville IL
Selecting the best electrician training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrician training that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Jacksonville IL.
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