Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Darby PA 19023

How to Become an Electrician in Darby Pennsylvania

Darby PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is locating an electrician trade school near Darby PA. But with so many vocational schools to pick from, just how do you approach making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are so many points to evaluate. For example, many potential students will start by searching for schools that are close to their home. Once they have identified some that are within driving range, they will decide on the one with the lowest tuition. Although location and cost are of importance, they are not the sole factors that should be considered. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate decision when choosing an electrician training school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are available.

Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options near Darby PA

Darby PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several ways to receive electrician training in a trade or technical school near Darby PA. You may choose a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable 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 intend to earn certification. Following are brief explanations of the 3 most typical programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally provided by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are geared towards individuals who want to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to complete and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, usually as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more comprehensive education while supplying the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at some Pennsylvania institutions, but are less favored at four years than the other briefer programs. The majority of states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed before licensing. For that reason, many students are eager to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their educational program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Requirements

Darby PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Darby PA can undertake a vast array of tasks, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but normally about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is called for before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically assess electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available differ by state and may be acquired in numerous specializations, such as 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 important that the electrician tech school that you select not only delivers a strong educational foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might be required to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Programs Online in Darby PA

attending electrician school online in Darby PA A possibility that you may have looked at is selecting an electrician online program to earn a certificate or degree. Although online schools are becoming more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to get practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes may be attended online, distance learning may be a more convenient choice for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online schools have a cheaper tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Commuting costs from Darby PA are also minimized and some of the study materials may be available online as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online vocational schools more affordable and accessible. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.

Points to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools

Darby PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Darby PA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we mentioned 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 while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your determination, there are other factors that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to enrolling in an electrical trade school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician vocational programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for instance electrical technology. Confirm that the Darby PA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you get an excellent education, it may assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable for non-accredited schools. Additionally, some states mandate that the electrician training program be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate may indicate that students were disappointed with the program and dropped out. It could also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have high 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 industry, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Darby PA graduates secure apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician trade programs are taught along 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 businesses or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have referring partnerships with Darby PA area electricians or electrical specialists. 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 equipment that you will be trained on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical technician you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Darby PA electrical contracting company if they can provide some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you can move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Darby home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in larger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with several of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Darby PA, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, be sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Darby PA?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Darby PA area.

Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

Upper Darby Township (often shortened to simply Upper Darby) is a home rule township[3] bordering Philadelphia in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upper Darby is home to the Tower Theater, a historic music venue on 69th Street built in the 1920s. Upper Darby's population is diverse, representing over 100 ethnic cultures. The township hosts a range of housing types including densely populated rowhouse sections similar to houses in neighboring West Philadelphia, tree-lined neighborhoods of turn-of-the-century single-family houses and mid-century developments. It is Pennsylvania's sixth most populous municipality.

Upper Darby is 65% residential, 25% commercial, and 8% other. As of the 2010 census, the township had a total population of 82,795.[4] Because of a home-rule charter adopted in 1974 and effective in 1976,[3] Upper Darby utilizes a mayor-council form of management, unlike communities that are still under the Pennsylvania Township Code. ("First Class" townships in Pennsylvania have a board of commissioners divided into wards, and "Second Class" townships having a board of supervisors, which are usually elected "at-large".)

In 1650, the area that eventually became Upper Darby had been inhabited by the Lenape tribe of Native Americans for hundreds of years, but war with the Susquehannock to the west along with devastating smallpox and measles epidemics had significantly reduced their numbers. The first permanent Europeans settlers arrived in late 1653 with a group from New Sweden. Soon after, in 1655, New Sweden was taken over by the Dutch, and then came under English rule in October 1664 as part England's overall conquest of New Amsterdam. The region was controlled as a possession of the English king until it was included in a large land grant to William Penn in 1681.

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Choose the Right Electrician Technical School near Darby PA

Choosing the best electrical trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own 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 have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you pick is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Darby PA.