Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Gilbertsville PA 19525

How to Become an Electrician in Gilbertsville Pennsylvania

Gilbertsville PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Gilbertsville PA. But with numerous technical schools to select from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly because there are so many points to evaluate. For example, many prospective students will start by looking for schools that are nearby their home. Once they have identified a few that are within commuting distance, they will decide on the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though location and cost are significant, they are not the sole qualifications that should be considered. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate decision when choosing an electrician school. We will talk about that checklist in greater detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational choices that are accessible.

Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Options near Gilbertsville PA

Gilbertsville PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general ways to receive electrician instruction in a technical or vocational school near Gilbertsville PA. You can select a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are obtainable at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three options. In many cases these programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs offered.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards students who would like to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to finish and are offered by Pennsylvania junior or community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at certain Pennsylvania colleges, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and more typically four years be completed prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Guidelines

Gilbertsville PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Gilbertsville PA can carry out a multitude of duties, including testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in buildings and homes comply with code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but generally around four to five years of prior experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams commonly assess electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to identify him or herself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in several specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually includes 3 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) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician tech school that you select not only furnishes a strong academic foundation, but also helps prep you for passing any licensing and certification exams that you might be required to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Schools in Gilbertsville PA

attending electrician school online in Gilbertsville PA An option that you may have contemplated is choosing an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online training programs have become more accepted as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this instance they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the remainder of the classes may be accessed online, distance learning can be a more practical choice for individuals that have limited time for education. And as an added benefit many online schools have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Gilbertsville PA are also minimized and a portion of the study materials can be available online also. Each of these advantages can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will cover in our questions to ask checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Gilbertsville PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel When you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to refine your school options. Since there are numerous electrician vocational and trade schools in the Gilbertsville PA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we mentioned were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be critical when making your selection, there are additional variables that must be considered as well. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research before choosing an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician vocational schools have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They may receive Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Gilbertsville PA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you get a superior education, it can assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available for non-accredited schools. Additionally, some states mandate that the electrician training course be accredited for it to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the program. A low completion rate might signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It might also mean that the instructors were not competent 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 more extensive list of alumni, which can result in more contacts for the school to utilize 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 Gilbertsville PA students obtain apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Most electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have referring relationships with Gilbertsville PA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by furnishing practical training, but it also provides employment opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Make certain 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 presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical tech you are working under regarding what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Gilbertsville PA electrical company if they can give you some suggestions. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school must be within driving distance of your Gilbertsville residence. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you get as much personalized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with several of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, speak with a few of the teachers and learn what their level of expertise is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Gilbertsville PA, check that the schools you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Gilbertsville PA?

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

Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania

Gilbertsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in northwest Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Douglass Township at the junction of Routes 73 and 100. The population was 4,832 at the 2010 census, and the ZIP code is 19525. The name is also applied to an indeterminate adjacent section of New Hanover Township served by the Gilbertsville Post Office, and in fact the New Hanover Township offices are located in an area considered to be part of Gilbertsville.[1] Boyertown School District covers the town of Gilbertsville.

Gilbertsville began when the descendants of William Gilbert, an English astronomer, physician, and physicist, decided to permanently move to America. Although many of the Gilberts fought for America in the Revolutionary War, Abijah Gilbert did not relocate his family until 1790. In the fall of 1789, 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land were purchased for the modern-day price of $2000. It was the first land purchased from the Morris Trust in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The Gilberts purchased more land in later years. A Gilbert Family letter recalls that as Abijah Gilbert's son, Joseph Thomas Gilbert, was disembarking in Philadelphia, George Washington patted him on the head and said, "A fine, rosy-cheeked English boy, who will make a good American Citizen."

The name Gilbertsville derived from the large number of Gilbert family, descended from Hans George Gilbert who relocated from Hoffenheim, Germany in 1750. He and his sons Bernhard and Johan George Gilbert are buried in the New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Churchyard. The village was originally a part of McCall's Manor.

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Find the Right Electrician Technical School near Gilbertsville PA

Picking the ideal electrical trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any electrician training that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their own equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world context, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every training program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Gilbertsville PA.