How to Become an Electrician in Newcastle Maine
The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Newcastle ME. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are a number of factors to examine. For instance, many prospective students will commence by searching for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have located several that are within commuting distance, they will choose the one with the cheapest tuition. Although location and cost are significant, they are not the sole qualifications that must be considered. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final decision when picking an electrician training school. We will cover that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the training options that are available.
Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options near Newcastle ME
There are three general ways to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Newcastle ME. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. In many cases these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Bellow are short descriptions of the 3 most prevalent programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually provided by Maine technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They furnish a good foundation and are aimed towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs involve 2 years to complete and are offered by Maine junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.
As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Maine colleges, but are less popular at four years than the other briefer programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be performed before licensing. Because of that, the majority of students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their educational program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Newcastle ME can perform a wide range of duties, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes 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 differs by state, but generally about four to five years of practical experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be earned in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually entails 3 levels of proficiency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician vocational school that you enroll in not only furnishes a strong educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to take in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online in Newcastle ME
A possibility that you might have looked at is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online schools have become more popular as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be attended online, internet learning may be a more accommodating option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Commuting expenses from Newcastle ME are also reduced and some of the study materials can be available on line also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.
Points to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Now that you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Newcastle ME 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 tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are other factors that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to research prior to enrolling in an electrical trade school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Newcastle ME program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you get a quality education, it can help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, 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 training programs you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate may signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It might also suggest that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of graduates, which may produce 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 field, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Newcastle ME grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and trade schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Newcastle ME area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with 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 Newcastle ME electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can move, the school must be within driving distance of your Newcastle residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there can be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Speak to several of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Newcastle ME, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Newcastle ME?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Newcastle ME area.
Newcastle, Maine
Newcastle is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,752 at the 2010 census. The village of Newcastle is located in the eastern part of the town,[4] on the Damariscotta River. Together with the village of Damariscotta linked by the Main Street bridge, they form the Twin Villages (see Damariscotta-Newcastle CDP).
Originally called Sheepscot Plantation, Newcastle was first settled in the 1630s by fishermen and around 50 families. Around 1649-50, John Mason purchased a tract of land from the sachems Chief Robinhood and Chief Jack Pudding. The territory was claimed in 1665 by the Duke of York. Renamed New Dartmouth, the plantation was attacked and destroyed in 1676 during King Philip's War.[5] When the war was over, some of the inhabitants returned. But it was destroyed again in 1689 during King William's War, and the village was not reoccupied for about 40 years. In 1730, Colonel David Dunbar, the superintendent and governor of the Province of Sagadahoc, resettled it as Newcastle, named in honor of the Duke of Newcastle.[6]
In 1978, the village of Sheepscot on the Sheepscot River in western Newcastle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sheepscot Historic District. It includes 51 buildings in the Italianate, Greek Revival, and Federal styles, on 12,000 acres (49 km2). (The USGS recognizes Sheepscott, Shepscooke, Shippscutt, and Shipscot as variants of the name Sheepscot.)
Select the Right Electrical Tech School near Newcastle ME
Picking the best electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrical training that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides different options for certification also. Probably The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Newcastle ME.
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