Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Towson MD 21204

How to Become an Electrician in Towson Maryland

Towson MD electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Towson MD. But with so many technical schools to pick from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the best 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 most affordable tuition. Although cost and location are of importance, they are not the sole things that need to be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your ultimate judgment when selecting an electrician trade school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are offered.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Towson MD

Towson MD electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several approaches to receive electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Towson MD. You can enroll in a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the first three options. Often these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you intend to become certified. Following are short summaries of the 3 most typical programs offered.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Maryland trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards individuals who would like to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs involve two years to finish and are provided by Maryland junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more extensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Maryland colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be completed before licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements

Towson MD electricians working on power lines Electricians in Towson MD can carry out a wide range of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed before taking 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 means for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in many specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves 3 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you pick not only delivers a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might be required to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Training Classes in Towson MD

attending electrician school online in Towson MD An alternative that you may have looked at is selecting an online electrician school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online training programs have become more popular as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this case 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 remainder of the classes may be accessed online, internet learning may be a more convenient option for students that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Commuting expenses from Towson MD are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can be accessed on line also. Each of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Towson MD electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Because there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Towson MD region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must meet. 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 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 must be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to choosing an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. Many electrician technical programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Verify that the Towson MD program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, many states require that the electrician training course be accredited for it 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 percentage or portion of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate may signify that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, 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 help Towson MD graduates obtain apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have referring partnerships with Towson MD area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Towson MD electrical contractor if they can provide some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Towson home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Speak to some of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Towson MD, confirm that the schools you are comparing provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Towson MD?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Towson MD area.

Towson, Maryland

Towson (/ˈtaʊsən/)[1] is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat,[2] and the second-most populated unincorporated county seat in the United States (after Ellicott City, the seat in nearby Howard County, southwest of Baltimore).[3]

The first inhabitants of the future Towson and central Baltimore County region were the Susquehannock Indians who hunted in the area. Their region included all of Baltimore County, though their primary settlement was farther northeast along the Susquehanna River.[4]

Towson was settled in 1752 when Pennsylvania brothers, William and Thomas Towson, began farming an area of Sater's Hill, northeast of the present-day York and Joppa Roads.[5] William's son, Ezekiel, opened the Towson Hotel to serve the increasing traffic of farmers bringing their produce and livestock to the port of Baltimore. He built the hotel at current-day Shealy Avenue and York Road, near the area's main crossroads.[6] The village became known as "Towsontown".[3][7] The property in West Towson came from two land grants: 400 acre Gott's Hope in 1719, and Gunner's Range in 1706.[8]

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Select the Right Electrician Trade School near Towson MD

Picking the ideal electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrician training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every training program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best means 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 some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Towson MD.