How to Become an Electrician in Great Falls Montana
The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Great Falls MT. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you go about making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are so many factors to evaluate. For instance, many prospective students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their home. After they have found some that are within commuting range, they will decide on the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though location and cost are important, they are not the sole things that should be examined. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifiers should help mold your final decision when selecting an electrician training school. We will cover that checklist in greater detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are offered.
Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options near Great Falls MT
There are three general options to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Great Falls MT. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three options. In many cases these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you want to earn certification. Bellow are short summaries of the three most common programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Montana vocational and trade schools and take approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards individuals who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require two years to complete and are offered by Montana junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Montana colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases four years be carried out prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician License and Certification Guidelines
Electricians in Great Falls MT can perform a wide range of tasks, including testing, installing and replacing 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 duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally about four to five years of experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams usually evaluate 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 her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and can be earned in several specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails 3 levels of proficiency:
- 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 pick not only provides a strong educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Online Schools in Great Falls MT
A possibility that you might have contemplated is choosing an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Although online training programs are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not completely 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 accessed online, internet learning might be a more accommodating choice for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus numerous online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional alternatives. Travelling costs from Great Falls MT are also lessened and some of the study materials may be accessed on line as well. Each of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Technical Schools
When you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Because there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Great Falls MT region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first 2 that we discussed were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are additional factors that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research before choosing an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make certain that the Great Falls MT program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools. Furthermore, some states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the course. A low completion rate might signify that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It may also mean that the instructors were not qualified 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 alumni, which can result in more contacts for the school to use 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 help Great Falls MT grads obtain apprenticeships or jobs.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating vocational and trade 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 reviewing have working relationships with Great Falls MT area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Great Falls MT electrical contracting company if they can give you some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Great Falls residence. Remember that if you decide to attend 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 desirable that you get as much individualized training 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 large they are and experience the interaction between students and teachers. Speak with a few of the students and get their feedback relating to 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. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Great Falls MT, confirm that the programs you are comparing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Great Falls MT?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Great Falls MT area.
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a town in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States.[4] The 2017 census estimate put the population at 58,638.[5] The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County and has a population of 82,278.[6] Great Falls was the largest city in Montana from 1950 to 1970, when Billings surpassed it. Great Falls remained the second largest city in Montana until 2000, when it was passed by Missoula.[7] Since then Great Falls has been the third largest city in the state.[8]
Great Falls takes its name from the series of five waterfalls in close proximity along the upper Missouri River basin that the Lewis and Clark Expedition had to portage around over a ten-mile stretch; the effort required 31 days of arduous labor during the westward leg of their 1805–06 exploration of the Louisiana Purchase and to the Pacific Northwest Coast of the Oregon Country. Each falls sports a hydroelectric dam today, hence Great Falls is nicknamed "the Electric City". Currently there are two undeveloped parts of their portage route; these are included within the Great Falls Portage, a National Historic Landmark.
The city is home to the C. M. Russell Museum Complex, the University of Great Falls, Great Falls College Montana State University, Giant Springs, the Roe River (claimed to be the world's shortest river), the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Great Falls Voyagers minor league baseball (formerly known as the Great Falls White Sox, Dodgers, and Giants) team, and Malmstrom Air Force Base. The local newspaper is the Great Falls Tribune. A Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index listed Great Falls as the most affordable area of 348 markets in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Select the Right Electrician Trade School near Great Falls MT
Choosing the ideal electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical tech school that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education should offer a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification also. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Great Falls MT.
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