Topics to Ask Electrician Vocational Schools<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen you have made a decision to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your training options. Since there are numerous electrician tech and trade schools in the Parker Dam CA area, it’s imperative to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The first two that we discussed were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an online degree, then that must be an option that your final school offers. And although all three qualifiers may be crucial when making your selection, there are other variables that need to be taken into account as well. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to research before choosing an electrical tech school.<\/p>\n
Accreditation. <\/strong>Numerous electrician technical programs have earned either a regional or a national accreditation. They can receive Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Confirm that the Parker Dam CA school and program are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping make certain that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable for non-accredited programs. Additionally, many 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 looking at what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate could signify that students were dissatisfied with the course and quit. It may also mean that the teachers 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 employ for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of contacts to help Parker Dam CA grads obtain apprenticeships or employment.<\/p>\nApprenticeship Programs. <\/strong>A large number of electrician vocational programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating trade and technical schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrician companies or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have working partnerships with Parker Dam CA area electricians or electrical companies. An apprenticeship not only provides a rewarding experience by supplying practical training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the regional electrician professional community.<\/p>\nModern Facilities. <\/strong>Make certain that the school 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 already in an internship or an apprenticeship, check with the electrical technician you are working with regarding what you should be looking for. Otherwise, ask a local Parker Dam CA electrical contracting company if they can give you some tips. Also keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the school needs to be within commuting distance of your Parker Dam home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in 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 desirable that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a few of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk to some of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Last, talk to a few of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.<\/p>\nFlexible Scheduling. <\/strong>Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evening or on weekends near Parker Dam CA, check that the programs you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Additionally, find out what the protocol is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family issues.<\/p>\nConsidering Attending an Electrician School near Parker Dam CA?<\/h3>\n
Following is a little bit of background information about the Parker Dam CA area.<\/p>\n
Parker Dam<\/h3>
Parker Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam that crosses the Colorado River 155 miles (249\u00a0km) downstream of Hoover Dam. Built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bureau of Reclamation, it is 320 feet (98\u00a0m) high, 235 feet (72\u00a0m) of which are below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world. The dam's primary functions are to create a reservoir, and to generate hydroelectric power. The reservoir behind the dam is called Lake Havasu and can store 647,000\u00a0acre\u22c5ft (798,000,000\u00a0m3) or over 210 billion US gallons. The dam straddles the state border at the narrows the river passes through between the Whipple Mountains of California and the Buckskin Mountains of Arizona.[1]<\/p>
The power plant has four Francis turbines with a combined capacity of 120 MW. Each turbine weighs 60,000 pounds. The head is 72 feet (22 m). It produces electricity at 97 percent efficiency. Half of the electricity the plant produces is used by the Metropolitan Water District to pump water along the Colorado River Aqueduct, and the rest is sold to utilities in California, Arizona and Nevada. The generation of power is limited by a requirement to keep the water level of Lake Havasu between 440 and 450 feet (134 to 137 meters) for proper operation of pumping plants for the Central Arizona Project and the Colorado River Aqueduct.[2]<\/p>
Lake Havasu is the water source for the Colorado River Aqueduct. The aqueduct is operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to almost all cities in the greater Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego areas. The district paid for nearly the entire cost of the dam, but it is owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.[2]<\/p><\/div>\n