Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Towanda PA 18848

How to Become an Electrician in Towanda Pennsylvania

Towanda PA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to becoming an electrical contractor or tradesman is finding an electrician trade school near Towanda PA. But with so many technical schools to choose from, just how do you approach making certain that you enroll in the right one? Especially since there are a number of points to evaluate. For example, some potential students will start by looking for schools that are close to their residence. When they have located some that are within driving distance, they will choose the one with the least expensive tuition. Even though location and cost are of importance, they are not the sole factors that need to be considered. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their graduation and job placement rates. These and other qualifiers should contribute toward your ultimate decision when picking an electrician trade school. We will cover that checklist in more detail later in this article. But to begin with, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the training options that are available.

Electrician Certificate, Diploma and Degree Programs near Towanda PA

Towanda PA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple options to receive electrician training in a technical or vocational school near Towanda PA. You can select a certificate or diploma program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three options. Frequently these programs are made available together with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to be licensed or if you intend to earn certification. Bellow are brief summaries of the 3 most common programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are typically offered by Pennsylvania vocational and trade schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards students who want to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs involve two years to complete 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 prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.

As earlier stated, Bachelor’s Degree programs are available at certain Pennsylvania colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. Many states mandate that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically four years be carried out before licensing. Because of that, the majority of students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites

Towanda PA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Towanda PA can undertake a wide range of functions, such as installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most states or municipalities. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about four to five years of practical experience is required before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Obtaining certification is also an optional way for an electrician to distinguish him or herself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications offered vary by state and may be acquired in many specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases entails 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 crucial that the electrician vocational school that you pick not only furnishes a solid educational foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to take in the future.

Enrolling in Electrician Online Schools in Towanda PA

attending electrician school online in Towanda PA An option that you may have considered is selecting an electrician online school to earn a certificate or degree. Even though online training programs have become more popular as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this case they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes can be accessed online, internet learning can be a more practical option for students that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit many online degree programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Travelling expenses from Towanda PA are also minimized and some of the study materials can be available online also. All of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our due diligence checklist.

What to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Towanda PA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have made a decision to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to narrow down your school options. Since there are numerous electrician trade and vocational schools in the Towanda PA region, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The initial two that we talked about were location and the cost of tuition. If you have an interest in earning an degree online, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are other factors that must be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical technical school.

Accreditation. A large number of electrician technical schools have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to a specific program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Towanda PA program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you receive a superior education, it may help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, many states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and complete the course. A low completion rate might indicate that students were dissatisfied with the program and dropped out. It might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to train the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, which may mean more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Towanda PA grads acquire apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. Many electrician technical programs are taught together with an internship or an apprenticeship program. Those participating technical and vocational schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Check if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Towanda PA area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only provides a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the area electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using on the job. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical technician you are working under concerning what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Towanda PA electrical contracting company if they can give you some pointers. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Towanda residence. Take note that if you decide to attend 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 desirable that you get as much personalized training as possible, which can be challenging in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor some of the classes so that you can see how big they are and experience the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the instructors and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you are only able to go to classes at night or on weekends near Towanda PA, confirm that the schools you are considering offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Finally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Towanda PA?

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

Towanda, Pennsylvania

Towanda is a borough and the county seat of Bradford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.[3] It is located 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Wilkes-Barre, on the Susquehanna River. The name means "burial ground" in the Algonquian language.[4] Settled in 1784 and incorporated in 1828, Towanda was once known primarily for its industrial interests, which included flour, planing and silk mills, a foundry and machine shop, dye works, and manufacturers of talking machines, cut glass, toys and furniture. The population in 1900 was 4,663 and 4,281 in 1910. As of the 2010 census the population of Towanda was 2,919.[5]

Towanda is located near the center of Bradford County at 41°46′13″N 76°26′48″W / 41.77028°N 76.44667°W / 41.77028; -76.44667 (41.770251, −76.446545),[7] on the west bank of the Susquehanna River. It is bordered to the north and west by North Towanda Township, to the south and west by Towanda Township, and to the east, across the river, by Wysox Township.

U.S. Route 6 passes through the center of the borough, leading southeast 39 miles (63 km) to Tunkhannock and 60 miles (97 km) to the Scranton area, and west 37 miles (60 km) to Mansfield. U.S. Route 220 bypasses the borough to the west and leads north 18 miles (29 km) to its terminus at Waverly, New York and southwest 67 miles (108 km) to Williamsport.

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Choose the Ideal Electrician Vocational School near Towanda PA

Choosing the best electrician trade school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrical training that you are examining includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides different possibilities for certification also. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you select is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional electrician in Towanda PA.