Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Lowell MA 01850

How to Become an Electrician in Lowell Massachusetts

Lowell MA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Lowell MA. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are so many points to evaluate. For example, many potential students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their residence. After they have located several that are within driving distance, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. Although location and cost are significant, they are not the only factors that must be examined. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifications should influence your final decision when choosing an electrician training school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational options that are available.

Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options near Lowell MA

Lowell MA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple options to receive electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Lowell MA. You can select a certificate or diploma program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three options. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you want to become certified. Following are short descriptions of the three most typical programs offered.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually provided by Massachusetts technical and trade schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards those who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to complete and are provided by Massachusetts junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at certain Massachusetts institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be performed prior to licensing. Because of that, most students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites

Lowell MA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Lowell MA can perform a wide range of duties, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. 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 method for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered differ by state and can be acquired in various specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases entails 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you select not only delivers a strong academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Schools Online in Lowell MA

attending electrician school online in Lowell MA A possibility that you might have contemplated is choosing an online electrician program to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools are becoming more prevalent as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to obtain hands-on practical training. But since the balance of the classes can be attended online, distance learning might be a more convenient alternative for individuals that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional competitors. Driving costs from Lowell MA are also reduced and a portion of the study materials may be available online also. All of these benefits can make electrician online trade schools more economical and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our due diligence checklist.

Topics to Ask Electrician Training Schools

Lowell MA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Because there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Lowell MA area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are other factors that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Lowell MA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, it may help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, 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 reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate might signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It may also mean that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of alumni, which may result in 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 a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to assist Lowell MA students secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught along with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Lowell MA area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Lowell MA electrical contractor if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Lowell residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there can be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized 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 observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak with some of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk with 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 programs you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Lowell MA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Lowell MA?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Lowell MA area.

Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Located in Middlesex County, Lowell (along with Cambridge) was a county seat until Massachusetts disbanded county government in 1999.[3] With an estimated population of 109,945 in 2014,[4] it is the fourth-largest city in Massachusetts, and the second-largest in the Boston metropolitan statistical area.[5] The city is also part of a smaller Massachusetts statistical area called Greater Lowell, as well as New England's Merrimack Valley region.

Incorporated in 1826 to serve as a mill town, Lowell was named after Francis Cabot Lowell, a local figure in the Industrial Revolution. The city became known as the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution, due to a large series of textile mills and factories. Many of the Lowell's historic manufacturing sites were later preserved by the National Park Service to create Lowell National Historical Park.[6] During the Cambodian genocide, the city took in an influx of refugees, leading to a Cambodia Town and America's second-largest Cambodian-American population.[7]

Founded in the 1820s as a planned manufacturing center for textiles, Lowell is located along the rapids of the Merrimack River, 25 miles northwest of Boston in what was once the farming community of East Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The so-called Boston Associates, including Nathan Appleton and Patrick Tracy Jackson of the Boston Manufacturing Company, named the new mill town after their visionary leader, Francis Cabot Lowell,[8] who had died five years before its 1823 incorporation. As Lowell's population grew, it acquired land from neighboring towns, and diversified into a full-fledged urban center. Many of the men who composed the labor force for constructing the canals and factories had immigrated from Ireland, escaping the poverty and Potato Famines of the 1830s and 1840s. The mill workers, young single women called Mill Girls, generally came from the farm families of New England.

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Select the Right Electrical Trade School near Lowell MA

Choosing the right electrical trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any electrical training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Lowell MA.