Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Ephrata PA 17522

How to Become an Electrician in Ephrata Pennsylvania

Ephrata PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Ephrata PA. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the best one? Especially since there are so many points to evaluate. For example, many potential students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their home. After they have located several that are within driving distance, they will select the one with the cheapest tuition. While location and cost are of importance, they are not the only things that need to be evaluated. Also important are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifiers should influence your final judgment when picking an electrician training school. We will talk about that checklist in more detail later in this post. But to begin with, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training choices that are offered.

Electrician Degree, Certificate and Diploma Programs near Ephrata PA

Ephrata PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to obtain electrician training in a vocational or trade school near Ephrata PA. You can choose a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some schools, but are not as common as the other three alternatives. Frequently these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states to be licensed or if you want to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most typical programs available.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Pennsylvania trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards individuals who want to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees involve 2 years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They furnish a more comprehensive education while providing the foundation that readies students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at certain Pennsylvania institutions, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and in most cases 4 years be completed prior to licensing. For that reason, the majority of students are anxious to commence their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites

Ephrata PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Ephrata PA can carry out a vast array of tasks, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After completing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to be licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but usually about 4 to 5 years of experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically test general knowledge and electrical theory, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary means for an electrician to identify him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and may be acquired in many specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure 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 crucial that the electrician trade school that you enroll in not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you may need to take in the future.

Attending Electrician Training Classes Online in Ephrata PA

attending electrician school online in Ephrata PA An alternative that you may have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online training programs have become more accepted as a way of attending class without the need for travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require some attendance on-campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning may be a more accommodating option for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus numerous online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on-campus alternatives. Travelling costs from Ephrata PA are also reduced and some of the study materials can be available online also. All of these advantages can make electrician online vocational schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.

Points to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Ephrata PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to narrow down your training options. Since there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Ephrata PA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your determination, there are additional variables that need to be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to analyze prior to selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician trade schools have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may attain Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, for example electrical technology. Make sure that the Ephrata PA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping guarantee that you acquire an excellent education, it can assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, some states require that the electrician training course 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 could suggest that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It might also indicate that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly important that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive list of alumni, which may mean more contacts for the school to employ 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 Ephrata PA students acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician vocational programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are comparing have working partnerships with Ephrata PA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be using in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Ephrata PA electrical contractor if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to relocate, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Ephrata home. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much one-on-one 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 witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with several of the students and get their comments relating to class sizes and instruction. Last, speak to some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Ephrata PA, check that the programs you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Ephrata PA?

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

Ephrata, Pennsylvania

Ephrata (/ˈɛfrətə/ EF-rə-tə; Pennsylvania German: Effridaa) is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, 38 miles (61 km) south east of Harrisburg and about 57 miles (92 km) west by north of Philadelphia. It is named after Ephrath, a biblical town in what is now Israel.[3] Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated. In its early history, Ephrata was a pleasure resort and an agricultural community.

Ephrata's population has steadily grown over the last century. In 1900, 2,452 people lived there, in 1910, 3,192, and by 1940, the population had increased to 6,199. The population was 13,394 at the 2010 census. Ephrata is the most populous borough in Lancaster County.

Ephrata is noteworthy for having been the former seat of the Mystic Order of the Solitary, a semimonastic order of Seventh-Day Dunkers. The community, which contained both men and women, was founded by Johann Conrad Beissel in 1732.

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Enroll in the Right Electrician Technical School near Ephrata PA

Selecting the right electrician trade school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to assess and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Ephrata PA.