Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Oswego IL 60543

How to Become an Electrician in Oswego Illinois

Oswego IL electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Oswego IL. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are a number of factors to consider. For instance, some students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. After they have located several that are within driving range, they will select the one with the cheapest tuition. While cost and location are of importance, they are not the sole qualifications that need to be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are offered.

Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Options near Oswego IL

Oswego IL electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several approaches to obtain electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Oswego IL. You may select a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered together with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states in order to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Bellow are short descriptions of the three most prevalent programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by Illinois vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards those who would like to enter an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs involve two years to complete and are offered by Illinois community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Illinois institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be performed before licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Guidelines

Oswego IL electricians working on power lines Electricians in Oswego IL can undertake a wide range of services, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams usually evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered differ by state and may be earned in many specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails 3 levels of competency:

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 important that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you might need to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Schools Online in Oswego IL

attending electrician school online in Oswego IL A possibility that you may have contemplated is choosing an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs are becoming more popular as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Just about all electrician training programs require some attendance on-campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning can be a more accommodating choice for students that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online degree programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Driving costs from Oswego IL are also reduced and some of the study materials may be accessed online also. All of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our due diligence checklist.

Topics to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools

Oswego IL electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Considering that there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Oswego IL area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional variables that must be taken into account as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research before enrolling in an electrical tech school.

Accreditation. Many electrician vocational schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Oswego IL program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you acquire an excellent education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of 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 considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may signify that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It might also suggest that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, 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 confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Oswego IL graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician contractors or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Oswego IL area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Oswego IL electrical contracting company if they can provide some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Oswego home. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and teachers. Talk with a few of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with some of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Oswego IL, confirm that the programs you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Oswego IL?

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

Oswego, Illinois

Oswego /ɒsˈwiːɡoʊ/ is a village in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The village population, according to the 2010 census, is 30,355. Its population has more than doubled since the 2000 census count of 13,326. With that growth, Oswego is the largest municipality located completely within Kendall County.

Oswego is known to some Chicago area residents for the town dragstrip, open from 1955 until 1979, where muscle cars were raced by drivers from all over the Midwest.[3][4] The drag days are celebrated today even though the strip has been closed for decades.[5]

In 1833, William Smith Wilson, his wife Rebecca, and his brother-in-law Daniel Pearce moved to the area now known as Oswego.[6] The land was officially owned by the local Potowatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes, but the United States government removed the Native Americans when the government started surveying the land along the Fox River in Kendall County. In 1842, the federal government placed the land for sale at an established price of $1.25 an acre.[7]

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Pick the Right Electrician Trade School near Oswego IL

Picking the best electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare among the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrician training program that you are evaluating includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and every student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world context, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Oswego IL.