Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Waukegan IL 60079

How to Become an Electrician in Waukegan Illinois

Waukegan IL electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Waukegan IL. But with numerous vocational schools to choose from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Particularly since there are a number of points to consider. 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 range, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the sole factors that must be evaluated. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician training school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are offered.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Waukegan IL

Waukegan IL electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several approaches to receive electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Waukegan IL. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive 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 made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by most states to become licensed or if you wish to become certified. Bellow are brief summaries of the three most common programs offered.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Illinois technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who would like to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees require 2 years to finish and are provided by Illinois community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at some Illinois colleges, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be completed prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Guidelines

Waukegan IL electricians working on power lines Electricians in Waukegan IL can perform a multitude of tasks, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure 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 municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams commonly test general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in numerous specializations, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases includes three 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you might need to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Programs Online in Waukegan IL

attending electrician school online in Waukegan IL An option that you might have looked at is selecting an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs have become more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, internet learning can be a more accommodating option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online training programs have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Driving expenses from Waukegan IL are also minimized and a portion of the study materials may be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools

Waukegan IL electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to focus your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Waukegan IL region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The initial 2 that we discussed 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 chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are additional variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to enrolling in an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade schools have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Waukegan IL program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it can assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A lower completion rate might suggest that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It could also suggest that the instructors were not competent to train 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 directory of graduates, which may mean more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Waukegan IL graduates secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician trade programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with Waukegan IL area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing practical training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local 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, check with the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Waukegan IL electrical company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Waukegan home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much personalized training as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to a few of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Waukegan IL, confirm that the programs you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Waukegan IL?

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

Waukegan, Illinois

Waukegan /wɔːˈkiːɡən/ is the largest city in and the county seat of Lake County, Illinois, United States.[1] It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, located approximately 40 miles north of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2013 census estimate, Waukegan had a population of 88,826,[2] which makes it the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population. Waukegan is a blue collar town that formerly served as an important industrial hub within the Chicagoland area.

The site of present-day Waukegan was recorded as Rivière du Vieux Fort ("Old Fort River") and Wakaygagh on a 1778 map by Thomas Hutchins. By the 1820s, the French name had become "Small Fort River" in English, and the settlement was known as "Little Fort". The name "Waukegance" and then "Waukegan" (meaning "little fort"; cf. Potawatomi wakaigin "fort" or "fortress") was created by John H. Kinzie and Solomon Juneau, and the new name was adopted on March 31, 1849.[8][9]

Waukegan had an abolitionist community dating to these early days. In 1853, residents commemorated the anniversary of emancipation of slaves in the British Empire with a meeting.[10] Waukegan arguably has the distinction of being the only place where Abraham Lincoln failed to finish a speech; when he campaigned in the town in 1860, a fire alarm rang, and the man soon-to-be president had his words interrupted.[11]

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Find the Right Electrician Technical School near Waukegan IL

Selecting the right electrical training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical training program that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every training program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Waukegan IL.