Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Wakefield VA 23888

How to Become an Electrician in Wakefield Virginia

Wakefield VA electrician inspecting circuit panel The first step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is finding an electrician trade school near Wakefield VA. But with numerous technical schools to pick from, just how do you undertake making sure that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are a number of points to evaluate. For example, some prospective students will commence by looking for schools that are close to their residence. When they have identified several that are within commuting distance, they will select the one with the lowest tuition. While cost and location are of importance, they are not the only qualifications that must be evaluated. Also critical are the accreditation and reputations of the schools, in addition to their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should contribute toward your final decision when choosing an electrician trade school. We will discuss 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 instructional choices that are available.

Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Wakefield VA

Wakefield VA electrician re-wiring power outlet There are three general options to obtain electrician training in a trade or technical school near Wakefield VA. You can enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at some schools, but are not as prevalent as the other three alternatives. In many cases these programs are made available combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by the majority of states in order to be licensed or if you wish to become certified. Following are brief summaries of the three most prevalent programs available.

Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by Virginia trade and technical schools and require approximately a year to complete. They provide a solid foundation and are geared towards students who want to join an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degrees take 2 years to complete and are provided by Virginia community colleges, typically as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more well-rounded education while providing the foundation that readies students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degree programs are accessible at some Virginia colleges, but are less preferred at four years than the other shorter programs. Most states require 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 commence their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their academic program.

Electrician License and Certification Guidelines

Wakefield VA electricians working on power lines Electricians in Wakefield VA can undertake a vast array of services, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings comply with code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to become licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The duration of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally around four to five years of practical experience is required before taking the licensing exam. The exams commonly assess electrical theory and general knowledge, along with understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also a voluntary way for an electrician to identify her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications offered differ by state and can be obtained in various specialties, such as cable splicing as an example. The certification process usually involves 3 levels of competency:

An experience requirement
Passing a written exam
Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying organizations include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you pick not only delivers a strong educational foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Training Classes in Wakefield VA

attending electrician school online in Wakefield VA An option that you might have looked at is choosing an online electrician program to earn a degree or a certificate. Although online schools have become more accepted as a means of attending class without the need for travel, in this instance they are not completely internet based. Pretty much all electrician training programs require some attendance on campus to receive hands-on practical training. But since the remainder of the classes can be attended online, internet learning can be a more convenient choice for students that have minimal time for education. And as a bonus many online training programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus counterparts. Travelling expenses from Wakefield VA are also lessened and a portion of the study materials may be accessed online as well. Each of these benefits can make electrician online tech schools more economical and convenient. And a number are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our due diligence checklist.

Questions to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Wakefield VA electrician re-wiring circuit panel Once you have decided to obtain a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to narrow down your training options. Considering that there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Wakefield VA area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must meet. The first 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your chosen school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are additional variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical tech school.

Accreditation. Numerous electrician technical schools have earned 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 pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Make sure that the Wakefield VA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you acquire an excellent education, it can help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Also, some states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order 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 complete the course. A lower completion rate may signify that students were unhappy with the course and dropped out. It could also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to train 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 graduates, which may produce 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 an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Wakefield VA grads secure apprenticeships or employment.

Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous electrician technical programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrician companies or labor unions. Ask if the schools you are comparing have referring relationships with Wakefield VA area electricians or electrical professionals. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job 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 instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be using in the field. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical specialist you are working with regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Wakefield VA electrical contractor if they can give you some pointers. Also keep in mind that unless you are willing to move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Wakefield 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 important that you receive as much one-on-one instruction 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. Speak to several of the students and get their feedback relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they hold.

Flexible Scheduling. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are assessing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Wakefield VA, check that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Additionally, ask what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Wakefield VA?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Wakefield VA area.

Wakefield, Virginia

Wakefield is widely known for the Virginia Diner, the Airfield Conference and 4-H Educational Center and the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office for Eastern Virginia, which issues weather alerts for the region.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km2), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (3.10%) is water.

Wakefield, one of several stops along the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad in pre-civil war Virginia, is thought to have been named by William Mahone(1826-1895), then president of the N&P, and his wife Otelia Butler Mahone as they traveled the newly completed railroad in 1858. According to local lore, the name came from the Sir Walter Scott novel Ivanhoe, which Mrs. Mahone was reading at the time. The towns of Windsor and Waverly are said to have received their names the same way.

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Select the Right Electrical Technical School near Wakefield VA

Choosing the best electrical trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any electrician tech school that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program offers different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Wakefield VA.