Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Sellersville PA 18960

How to Become an Electrician in Sellersville Pennsylvania

Sellersville PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Sellersville PA. But with numerous technical schools to choose from, just how do you tackle making sure that you enroll in the right one? Particularly since there are a number of variables to consider. For instance, some prospective students will start by searching for schools that are nearby their home. When they have identified some that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the most affordable tuition. Even though cost and location are important, they are not the sole factors that should be evaluated. Also important are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, along with their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should contribute toward your final judgment when choosing an electrician training school. We will discuss that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about being an electrician and the educational options that are available.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Programs near Sellersville PA

Sellersville PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are several approaches to get electrician training in a trade or technical school near Sellersville PA. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or receive an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at a few schools, but are not as common as the first three options. Often these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship program, which are required by most states to become licensed or if you want to become certified. Bellow are brief descriptions of the three most typical programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically provided by Pennsylvania trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to finish. They furnish a good foundation and are geared towards those who want to get into an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees require two years to complete and are offered by Pennsylvania community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at some Pennsylvania colleges, but are less favored at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases four years be completed prior to licensing. Because of that, many students are anxious to begin their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Criteria

Sellersville PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Sellersville PA can undertake a multitude of functions, including 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 required to become licensed in the majority of municipalities and states. The period of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is needed before taking the licensing exam. The exams typically test electrical theory and general knowledge, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also a voluntary method for an electrician to differentiate her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in many specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves 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 imperative that the electrician vocational school that you select not only delivers a solid academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing examinations that you might be required to pass in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Training Classes in Sellersville PA

attending electrician school online in Sellersville PA A possibility that you might have contemplated is enrolling in an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online schools have become more accepted as a way of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not totally internet based. Virtually all electrician training programs require partial attendance on campus to get hands-on practical training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, internet learning might be a more accommodating alternative for students that have limited time for schooling. And as a bonus many online schools have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Driving costs from Sellersville PA are also reduced and some of the study materials can be accessed on line also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician vocational schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will address in our questions to ask checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Technical Schools

Sellersville PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to narrow down your school options. Because there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Sellersville PA region, it’s important to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The initial two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be important when making your decision, there are other variables that must be taken into account also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research prior to choosing an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. Many electrician vocational programs have received either a regional or a national accreditation. They may acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Sellersville PA school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you get a quality education, it may help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of 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 percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate may signify that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It might also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to train 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 alumni, 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 validate that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Sellersville PA students secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician training programs are taught in conjunction with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have referring partnerships with Sellersville PA area electricians or electrical specialists. 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 area 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 currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working with concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Sellersville PA electrical contractor if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Sellersville residence. Take note that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s important that you receive as much individualized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a few of the classes so that you can see how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Speak to a few of the students and get their comments concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk to some of the teachers and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Sellersville PA, verify that the programs you are reviewing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, 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 because of work, sickness or family issues.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Sellersville PA?

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

Sellersville, Pennsylvania

Sellersville was founded in the early 18th century. It was centered on a major road known as Bethlehem Pike that connected Philadelphia to Bethlehem and the rest of what was then far Western Pennsylvania. The town was very small and was called Sellers Tavern. Its most notable feature was a large inn. The present Washington House in Sellersville, however, was not Sellers Tavern. The town grew slowly over the years until the Industrial Revolution. In the 1860s the North Pennsylvania Railroad was built, running parallel to Bethlehem Pike: this stimulated the growth of light textile industries and brought a wave of population growth. The East Branch of the Perkiomen Creek runs through the town which connects it to an adjacent town of Perkasie. This creek was dammed in the early 20th century creating a small body of water known as Lake Lenape. Along the length of the lake a park was built on Perkasie and Sellersville lands. In the 1920s and 1930s this park housed a carousel, a roller coaster and several other amusements. The railroad brought hundreds of people from Philadelphia in the summer time, and it became a well known vacation spot for blue collar city workers. The town was also home to the Radium Company of America, which was the largest uranium milling facility in the world at the time. A business operating under the name of the United States Gauge Company originated in Sellersville in 1904 and allegedly became a prominent manufacturer of gauges for military use, many of which were coated with radium-based paint[3] for nighttime luminesence. The company later became instrumental in the production of nuclear weapons,[4] leaving behind a legacy of industrial and radioactive contamination that has been well-hidden by local, county, state, and federal government agencies for decades.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Today the town is still relatively small, sandwiched in between a ridge line and the larger town of Perkasie. The center of town still runs along Bethlehem Pike which is now called Old Route 309. The Washington House has recently been restored to become an upscale restaurant. Next door to the restaurant was a livery stable, which was converted into a theater (later a movie theater) in 1894. It has since been restored, and reopened in 2001 as Sellersville Theater 1894- a popular live music venue. The creek is still dammed but only the carousel in Perkasie remains of the amusements. The textile industry has long moved out of the area and Sellersville has become mainly a residential town for people working in the many urban centers that are only a short commute away. Grand View Hospital, Bucks County’s first hospital, has provided residents of Bucks and Montgomery counties with comprehensive healthcare services since 1913. The town is surrounded on three sides by open country and spread out housing developments. The local firehouse provides various activities throughout the year, including a carnival in the summer. The Holiday House Pool and Recreation Center becomes a hotspot for people to escape the heat during the summer as well. There are various business along Main Street one of which is the Washington House. This strip of businesses along Main Street provide some jobs as well, but largely the town remains a residential area. There is a Sellersville Museum off of Main Street which displays different exhibits every month.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (1.69%) is water. It is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania as part of Northern Bucks County (colloquially referred to as Upper Bucks) which borders Northampton County, and Lehigh County.

As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 4,249 people residing in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 93.6% White, 1.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.

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Choose the Right Electrician Vocational School near Sellersville PA

Picking the ideal electrical training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare between the training programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician tech school that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every program offers different possibilities for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional electrician in Sellersville PA.