Topics to Ask Electrician Technical Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen you have decided to obtain a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Since there are so many electrician vocational and trade schools in the Northridge CA region, it’s important to have a checklist of qualifications that each school must meet. The first 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that must be a feature that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your decision, there are other variables that need to be taken into account also. Below is a checklist of those added qualifications that you will need to research before selecting an electrical tech school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Numerous electrician technical programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Northridge CA program is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for instance the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, it may help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Furthermore, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.<\/p>\nHigh Completion and Placement Rates. <\/strong>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 finish the course. A low completion rate might indicate that students were unhappy with the program and quit. It may also signify that the instructors were not competent to train the students. It’s similarly imperative that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and\/or more reputable schools may have a more extensive directory of alumni, which may result in more contacts for the school to utilize 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 industry, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Northridge CA students obtain apprenticeships or jobs.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>Numerous electrician technical programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program inside their network of electrical companies or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Northridge CA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by supplying hands-on training, but it also provides job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Confirm that the school facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with on the job. If you are already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. Otherwise, ask a local Northridge CA electrical contractor if they can give you some tips. Also bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Northridge home. Remember that if you decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be increased tuition charges compared to in-state residents.<\/p>\nSmaller Classes. <\/strong>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 some of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and experience the interaction between students and instructors. Talk with a few of the students and get their feedback concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak with some of the instructors and learn what their level of experience is and what certifications or degrees they hold.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are assessing are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Northridge CA, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family issues.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Northridge CA?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Northridge CA area.<\/p>\n
Northridge, Los Angeles<\/h3>
Originally named Zelzah, the community was renamed North Los Angeles in 1929 to emphasize its closeness to the booming city. This created confusion with Los Angeles and North Hollywood. At the suggestion of a civic leader, the community was renamed Northridge in 1938.[1] Northridge can trace its history back to the Gabrielino (or Tongva) people and to Spanish explorers. Its territory was later sold by the Mexican governor to Eulogio de Celis, whose heirs divided it for sale.\n<\/p>
The 2000 U.S. census counted 57,561 residents in the 9.47-square-mile (24.5\u00a0km2) Northridge neighborhood\u2014or 6,080 people per square mile (2,350\/km2), among the lowest population densities for the city. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 61,993. In 2000 the median age for residents was 32, about average for city and county neighborhoods; the percentage of residents aged 19 to 34 was among the county's highest.\n[2]<\/p>
The neighborhood was considered \"highly diverse\" ethnically within Los Angeles, with a high percentage of Asian people. The breakdown was whites, 49.5%; Latinos, 26.1%; Asians, 14.5%; blacks, 5.4%; and others, 4.6%. Mexico (24.7%) and the Philippines (9.8%) were the most common places of birth for the 31.8% of the residents who were born abroad\u2014an average figure for Los Angeles.[2]<\/p><\/div>\n