Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Oak Brook IL 60523

How to Become an Electrician in Oak Brook Illinois

Oak Brook IL electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Oak Brook IL. But with so many vocational schools to choose from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the right one? Especially since there are so many factors to evaluate. For instance, some potential students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their residence. When they have found a few that are within commuting range, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. Even though cost and location are of importance, they are not the only qualifications that need to be considered. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final judgment when selecting an electrician school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional choices that are offered.

Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options near Oak Brook IL

Oak Brook IL electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple approaches to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Oak Brook IL. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. In many cases these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states to be licensed or if you would like to become certified. Following are brief summaries of the 3 most common programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by Illinois trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards students who wish to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs involve two years to finish and are offered by Illinois community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Illinois institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites

Oak Brook IL electricians working on power lines Electricians in Oak Brook IL can undertake a vast array of tasks, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required 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). Receiving certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be obtained in several specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually includes 3 levels of proficiency:

An experience requirement
Passing a written exam
Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying agencies include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s imperative that the electrician tech school that you choose not only delivers a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you might be required to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Training Classes Online in Oak Brook IL

attending electrician school online in Oak Brook IL A possibility that you may have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. While online schools have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require some attendance on-campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning can be a more practical alternative for individuals that have limited time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus counterparts. Travelling costs from Oak Brook IL are also minimized and some of the study materials can be available on line also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Oak Brook IL electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Oak Brook IL area, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The first two that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are other variables that need to be considered also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess prior to selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make certain that the Oak Brook IL school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you acquire an excellent education, it may assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify 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 program. A low completion rate may indicate that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It could also mean that the instructors were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which can mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only validate that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Oak Brook IL students secure apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician technical programs are taught together 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 electrician businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are comparing have working relationships with Oak Brook IL area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Oak Brook IL electrical contractor if they can provide some suggestions. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Oak Brook home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you get as much individualized 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 see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with some of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to a few of the instructors and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Oak Brook IL, check 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. Finally, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Oak Brook IL?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Oak Brook IL area.

Oak Brook, Illinois

Oak Brook is a village in DuPage County with a small portion in Cook County in Illinois. The population was 7,883 at the 2010 census.[3] A suburb of Chicago, Oak Brook serves as home to the headquarters of several notable companies and organizations including McDonald's (now moving to Chicago), Ace Hardware, Blistex, Federal Signal, CenterPoint Properties, Sanford L.P., TreeHouse Foods, and Lions Clubs International.

Oak Brook was incorporated as a village in 1958, due in large part to the efforts of Paul Butler, a prominent civic leader and landowner whose father had first moved to the vicinity in 1898 and opened a dairy farm shortly thereafter. Prior to incorporation, the name Oak Brook was used by local residents to distinguish their community from neighboring Hinsdale and Elmhurst, going back to the founding of the Oak Brook Civic Association almost two decades earlier.[5]

The original boundaries were smaller than the present extent of the village, but a considerable amount of land was annexed soon after the founding of the village, including the land that is now the site of the Oakbrook Center shopping mall, which opened in 1962.

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Pick the Right Electrician Technical School near Oak Brook IL

Choosing the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical tech school that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Oak Brook IL.