Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Greenville NC 27833

How to Become an Electrician in Greenville North Carolina

Greenville NC electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Greenville NC. But with so many vocational schools to select from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are so many points to examine. For example, many students will begin by searching for schools that are close to their residence. After they have identified a few that are within commuting range, they will select the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though location and cost are important, they are not the only qualifications that must be considered. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their graduation and job placement rates. These and additional qualifications should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician training school. We will talk about 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 choices that are available.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Options near Greenville NC

Greenville NC electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Greenville NC. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at a few schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. In many cases these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by most states to become licensed or if you wish to become certified. Following are brief explanations of the three most typical programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by North Carolina vocational and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards students who wish to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees take 2 years to finish and are offered by North Carolina community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to begin their apprenticeship program.

As previously mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some North Carolina colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. The majority of states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be performed before licensing. Because of that, most students are eager to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Licensing and Certification Prerequisites

Greenville NC electricians working on power lines Electricians in Greenville NC can perform a wide range of duties, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally about four to five years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically assess general knowledge and electrical theory, along with knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional way for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered differ by state and can be obtained in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure usually entails three 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician trade school that you choose not only furnishes a solid educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might need to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Training Classes in Greenville NC

attending electrician school online in Greenville NC An option that you may have contemplated is choosing an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. While online schools have become more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on-campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning might be a more accommodating choice for students that have limited time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Travelling costs from Greenville NC are also reduced and some of the study materials can be accessed on line also. All of these advantages can make online electrician trade schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Greenville NC electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Since there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Greenville NC area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are additional factors that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to research prior to choosing an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade schools have attained 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, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the Greenville NC school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, it may assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states require that the electrician training program 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 percentage or portion of students who enroll in and finish the program. A low completion rate may signify that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It might also signify that the teachers were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s also essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which may result in more contacts for the school to employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Greenville NC grads obtain apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician training programs are taught together 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 contractors or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with Greenville NC area electricians or electrical contractors. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to build relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make sure that the campus 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 already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Greenville NC electrical contracting company if they can provide some pointers. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within commuting distance of your Greenville residence. Remember that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with several of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Greenville NC, verify that the programs you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select allows part-time enrollment. Additionally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Greenville NC?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Greenville NC area.

Greenville, North Carolina

Greenville is the county seat and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. The principal city of the Greenville metropolitan area, and the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain. The city's official population as of the 2017 United States census estimate is 92,156 residents[3] while the Greenville Metropolitan Area includes 174,263 people.[4] In January 2008 and January 2010, Greenville was named one of the nation's "100 Best Communities for Young People" by the America's Promise Alliance.[5][6] In June 2012, Greenville was ranked in the top ten of the nation's "Best Small Places For Business And Careers" by Forbes magazine.[7] In 2010 Greenville was ranked twenty-fourth in mid-city business growth and development by Forbes Magazine.

The city was also known as "BMX Pro Town USA",[8] as it is home for many top professional BMX riders. Greenville is the home of East Carolina University, the fourth-largest university in the University of North Carolina system, and Vidant Medical Center, the flagship hospital for Vidant Health and the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine. The city has the fifth-highest percentage of residents in North Carolina – almost 30 percent – who have obtained bachelor's degrees.[9]

Greenville was founded in 1771 as "Martinsborough", after the Royal Governor Josiah Martin. In 1774 the town was moved to its present location on the south bank of the Tar River, three miles (4.8 km) west of its original site. In 1786, the name was changed to Greenesville in honor of General Nathanael Greene, the American Revolutionary War hero. It was later shortened to Greenville.[10]

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Choose the Right Electrician Vocational School near Greenville NC

Selecting the best electrician trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrical tech school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Greenville NC.