News & Events
August 12, 2019
Tips to Be Successful During Your Electrician Apprecnticeship
If you aspire to be an electrician, you have to complete an electrician apprenticeship. This important part of your career will help you develop into a professional electrician.
A benefit of apprenticeship is you can learn the trade over time and with a lot of hands-on experience, which is why you should try to get as much out of it as possible. Here are some things you can do to enhance your apprenticeship experience.
Keep Accurate Records
If you want to become a licensed electrician, you have to maintain a record of your hours during your apprenticeship. Your hard work will not be worth anything if you are unable to account for the hours you spent on your apprenticeship.
Any apprenticeship program you choose will have a specific number of classroom time and on-the-job training hours required. Keep a journal or log book to record your hours while you work. You can also use a computer spreadsheet program you can access from your phone to record the hours as soon as your shift is complete.
Understand the National Electrical Code
Any future electrician should fully understand the National Electrical Code. This is a large book filled with all the information you must know to become an electrician. The book will be intimidating, so be sure to ask any instructors questions you have during your class time or while you are out working on your training hours.
Always Do What Is Asked of You
An apprenticeship is much like doing the work of an intern. You are there to learn valuable skills and information, but you also will be asked to complete additional tasks. For instance, you may be asked to haul away trash at a job site or load and unload equipment.
Try to take the tasks in stride. This is part of the experience. Each person who has been an electrician apprentice has done the same tasks. Try not to feel frustrated when you are asked to take on these extra tasks.
Ask Questions
Never feel like you cannot ask questions during your apprenticeship. You are there to learn, and you cannot learn if you do not understand a concept or task. As you work with different electricians, make a note of those who seem more willing to talk to you and help you understand the various concepts you will need to do the job. Seek those people out when you have questions.
Do Not Take on Too Much
While you want to do as much as possible to complete your apprenticeship, you do not want to burn yourself out. When you work too hard for too many hours a day, you are eventually going to get tired, and your apprenticeship will suffer.
This period of time is important, and you need to figure out how to prioritize. You do not have to learn everything about the trade at one time. Space out your training so you can learn all you need to learn while not burning out.
Have Faith in the Process
Apprenticeships have been around for generations because they are a time-tested way of teaching a trade. At the end of your apprenticeship, you will fully understand what it means to be an electrician, the skills you need to do the job, and the confidence that you can do the job well.
If you have any questions about an electrician apprenticeship, please contact Independent Electrical Contractors of Greater Cincinnati. We are the number one in electrician industry apprenticeship training programs. We provide you with a solid continuing education experience and full electrical training. Visit our website today to learn more.