How to Become an Electrician in Wewoka Oklahoma
The first step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Wewoka OK. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially because there are a number of factors to examine. For example, some prospective students will begin by looking for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have located some that are within commuting distance, they will pick the one with the lowest tuition. Even though 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 job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should contribute toward your final decision when picking an electrician training school. We will address that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the instructional choices that are available.
Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Wewoka OK
There are three general options to obtain electrician instruction in a trade or technical school near Wewoka OK. You can select a certificate or diploma program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by most states to become licensed or if you would like to earn certification. Following are short descriptions of the three most common programs offered.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally provided by Oklahoma trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards individuals who would like to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degrees take 2 years to complete and are offered by Oklahoma junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more extensive education while providing the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some Oklahoma colleges, but are less favored at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically 4 years be carried out before licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Licensing and Certification Requirements
Electricians in Wewoka OK can undertake 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 completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship varies by state, but commonly around 4 to 5 years of experience is needed in order to take the licensing examination. The exams usually evaluate general knowledge and electrical theory, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and can be earned in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves 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 important that the electrician trade school that you pick not only provides a solid educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any licensing and certification examinations that you may need to pass in the future.
Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online in Wewoka OK
An alternative that you may have looked at is selecting an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. While online training programs are becoming more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be accessed online, distance learning can be a more convenient alternative for students that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus alternatives. Commuting costs from Wewoka OK are also minimized and a portion of the study materials may be available online also. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.
What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Once you have decided to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to focus your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Wewoka OK region, it’s imperative to have a checklist of qualifications that each program must satisfy. The initial 2 that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are other factors that must be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to research before choosing an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Many electrician trade schools have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Confirm that the Wewoka OK school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you receive a quality education, it can help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states mandate that the electrician training program 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 low completion rate may suggest that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It could also suggest that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s also important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list 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 can not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Wewoka OK graduates obtain apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Wewoka OK area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the local electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the tools that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Wewoka OK electrical contracting company if they can give you some pointers. Additionally keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school must be within commuting distance of your Wewoka home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized training as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can sit in on some of the classes so that you can observe how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Talk to some of the students and get their comments regarding class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to some of the teachers and learn 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 are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Wewoka OK, verify that the programs you are comparing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out 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 Wewoka OK?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Wewoka OK area.
Wewoka, Oklahoma
Wewoka's history begins with Freedman John Horse, who was also known as Gopher John.[5] In the spring of 1849, Horse and a group of Black Seminoles founded a settlement near modern-day Wewoka.[5] Seeking safety and autonomy from the Creek Nation, they established a community located at the falls of a small stream, lying in the fertile lands between the North and South Canadian Rivers. The steady rush of water over the falls gave rise to the name We-Wo-Ka – meaning "Barking Water" in the Mvskoke (Seminole) language. Other historians claim he named the settlement Wewokea after Osceola's second wife who was of both Seminole and African ancestry.[1]
In autumn of 1849, Horse and Seminole chief Wild Cat led Seminole families into Mexico to avoid the attempts of slavers to raid families and capture people of African descent.[5] The Mexican government offered Wild Cat, Horse and other Seminoles land in Mexico if they could rid the land of renegades who were terrorizing Mexican citizens. Wild Cat was the next hereditary chief of the Seminole Nation but the government appointed its first chief John Jumper instead. The descendants of Wildcat and his band were split for a time between Wewoka, Texas, and Mexico until 1918.
The city was founded in 1866 when Elijah J. Brown, an employee of the federal government led Seminole refugees from Leroy, Kansas to Indian Territory.[1] During the American Civil War, the Seminole Nation had sided with the Confederacy, although many tribe members fled to the relative safety of Kansas, where they remained for the duration of the war. In 1866, after the Confederacy surrendered, the United States government required the Seminole Nation to sign a new treaty, which required them to emancipate their slaves, give freedmen who wanted to stay in the territory full rights as citizens, including voting in the tribe. Brown led the refugees back to Wewoka, here he built himself a house and established a trading post. Freedmen settled in Wewoka along with the Seminole and Elijah Brown was the only legal white settler in the town. The trading post had several subsequent proprietors before it was bought by two Seminole brothers, John Frippo Brown and A. J. Brown, and became the Wewoka Trading Company in 1891.[a] Rev. James Ross Ramsey, a Presbyterian missionary, founded the Ramsey Mission (considered the first school in present Seminole County) in 1866. A post office was established on May 13, 1867 with E. J. Brown as first postmaster. The Seminole Nation made Wewoka their capital city and Seminole Governor John Brown had a log house erected at Wewoka as the Seminole capitol in 1877.[1][6][b][c]
Select the Right Electrical Trade School near Wewoka OK
Selecting the best electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any electrical training that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Each training program offers different options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to visit 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 school you decide on is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Wewoka OK.
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