Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Piscataway NJ 08854

How to Become an Electrician in Piscataway New Jersey

Piscataway NJ electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Piscataway NJ. But with numerous vocational schools to pick from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are so many factors to examine. For instance, many prospective students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their home. When they have located a few that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. While location and cost are important, they are not the sole things that should be evaluated. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should contribute toward your final decision when picking an electrician school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational choices that are accessible.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Piscataway NJ

Piscataway NJ electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple options to get electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Piscataway NJ. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Often these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship program, which are mandated by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Following are brief summaries of the 3 most prevalent programs available.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by New Jersey technical and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They furnish a solid foundation and are aimed towards students who want to get into an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs take 2 years to complete and are offered by New Jersey community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain New Jersey institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be completed before licensing. Therefore, the majority of students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria

Piscataway NJ electricians working on power lines Electricians in Piscataway NJ can carry out a multitude of services, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in most states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly around four to five years of practical experience is required in order to take the licensing exam. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered differ by state and can be acquired in many specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases entails three 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) as well as the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you select not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you might be required to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online in Piscataway NJ

attending electrician school online in Piscataway NJ An option that you might have contemplated is selecting an electrician online program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more prevalent as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning can be a more practical alternative for individuals that have minimal time for education. And as an added benefit many online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Commuting costs from Piscataway NJ are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be accessed online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online trade schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Piscataway NJ electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have made a decision to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Considering that there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Piscataway NJ area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first two that we mentioned were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are additional factors that need to be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical tech school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Piscataway NJ school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it to qualify for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It might also signify that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also imperative that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may mean more contacts for the school to use 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 additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Piscataway NJ graduates acquire apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating trade and vocational programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have working relationships with Piscataway NJ area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by furnishing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be trained 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, check with the electrical tech you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Piscataway NJ electrical company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within driving distance of your Piscataway residence. Take note 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 receive as much one-on-one training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with several of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Piscataway NJ, confirm that the programs you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Piscataway NJ?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Piscataway NJ area.

Piscataway, New Jersey

Piscataway (/pɪˈskætəweɪ/) is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 56,044,[8][9][10] reflecting an increase of 5,562 (+11.0%) from the 50,482 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,393 (+7.2%) from the 47,089 counted in 1990.[18]

The name Piscataway may be derived from the area's original Native American residents, transplants from near the Piscataqua River defining the coastal border between New Hampshire and Maine, whose name derives from peske (branch) and tegwe (tidal river),[19] or alternatively from pisgeu (meaning "dark night") and awa ("place of")[20] or from a Lenape language word meaning "great deer"[21] or from words meaning "place of dark night".[22] The area was first settled in 1666 by Quakers and Baptists who had left the Puritan colony in New Hampshire.[21]

Piscataway Township was formed on December 18, 1666, and officially incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as part of the state's initial group of 104 townships.[23] The community, the fifth-oldest municipality in New Jersey,[24] has grown from Native American territory, through a colonial period and is one of the links in the earliest settlement of the Atlantic Ocean seacoast that ultimately led to the formation of the United States. Over the years, portions of Piscataway were taken to form Raritan Township (March 17, 1870, now Edison), Dunellen (October 28, 1887), Middlesex (April 9, 1913) and South Plainfield (March 10, 1926).[23]

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Select the Right Electrical Vocational School near Piscataway NJ

Selecting the right electrical training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are evaluating includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each training program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Piscataway NJ.