Certificate in Electrical.
The electrical curriculum prepares learners for a career as skilled professionals in the electrical field.
It places strong emphasis on safe work practices, while covering applied electrical theory and residential, commercial, and industrial electrical knowledge and skills.
Electrical Course Descriptions
Expand each course below for a description and assigned time commitment per topic.
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Time on Topic: .5 day / 4 hours
This course introduces students to the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) materials. NCCER is a leader in construction education and training materials and students will be provided their access code and spend time learning how to navigate the website to access the learning materials.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) course teaches basic safety and health information to entry-level workers in the construction and general industry. The course focuses on recognizing and avoiding common workplace hazards. Also covered are worker rights and employer’s responsibilities.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of safety in the electrical industry. Focus will be on recognizing, avoiding, and controlling electrical hazards to prevent injuries and fatalities. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamental tools used in the electrical industry. Focus will be on both hand and power tools. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of electrical circuits. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: .5 days / 4 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamental elements of electricity. Focus will be on topics such as atomic structure, voltage, currents, resistance, AC and DC circuits. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of the required national codes for electrical projects. This is an essential knowledge needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 5 days / 40 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of electrical projects to include installing outlets, electrical devices, pulling wire, and junction boxes. Focus will be on identifying types of boxes, pulling wire through conduit and terminating the wire. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: .5 days / 4 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to bend metal conduit by hand. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 3 days / 24 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of routing and identify the various pathways of electrical wiring with a focus on how to work with wireways, raceways, and a variety of fittings. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to work with various conductors and cables. There will be a focus on splicing and termination of various conductors and cables. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to read and understand house, architectural, building drawings and construction documents connected to the electrical plans for a given structure. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 5 days / 40 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of residential wiring. Students will learn to plan, install, and maintain wiring, conduits, lighting, and electrical panels. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: .5 days / 4 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to use various electrical test equipment. Focus will be on the use of multimeters, oscilloscopes and meggers to measure electrical values and diagnose problems. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of alternating current. Focus will be on the principles and properties of AC current. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to install various lighting fixtures. Focus will be on types of lamps, fixtures, lighting controls, and calculation design and installation. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: .5 days / 4 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to bend a variety of conduits. Focus will be on how to shape electrical conduit for various installations. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to pull wire and install junction boxes in a variety of settings. Focus will be on selecting and sizing junction and pull boxes. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the practical skills and technical knowledge for safely and correctly installing electrical conductors. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of grounding and bonding. The focus will on the theory and practical application of connecting electrical systems to the earth and ensuring electrical continuity between metallic parts. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of circuit breakers and fuses. A focus will be on overcurrent protection and the difference between fuses and breakers.This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of control systems with a focus on the practical application to have various systems to achieve desired outcome. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to determine the load calculations for branch circuits with a focus on safety and efficiency. In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to determine load calculations-feeders & services. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to select the correct conductor and to determine the calculations for the respective conductor. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the practical applications for lighting in a variety of settings with a focus on a space’s function and appearance. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to identify and to avoid and work around hazardous locations such as areas with flammable gases, dust, or fibers. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of overcurrent protection with a focus on device identification and how to isolate faults and prevent damage. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the basic elements of a distribution system and how each part works, including the flow of power from substations to consumers. A focus will be on the purpose and function of key electrical components. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of the theory and operation of transformers. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the principles and practical skills of wiring, troubleshooting and maintaining electrical motors. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to determine load calculations-feeders & services. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: .5 days / 4 hours
In this course students will learn about the unique electrical features associated with health care facilities. A focus is placed on line safety and reliability for critical equipment. This is an advanced skill for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of standby and emergency systems. A focus is placed on the management of standby and emergency power systems such as generators. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 5 days / 40 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of advanced controls and estimating. In learning how to estimate the cost for a job students will learn how to identify the various cost factors of labor cost, material costs, equipment costs, overhead cost and contingency costs. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 4 days / 32 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of HVAC controls. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the principles, design, and installation of systems that use electric heating cables to prevent pipes and vessels from freezing or to maintain process temperatures. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 2 days / 16 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of motor operation and how to wire and to maintain the motors. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 1 day / 8 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of how to terminate/splice medium voltage wiring/circuits. This is an essential skill needed for an electrician and a high level of proficiency is expected of students. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 5 days / 40 hours
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of reading blueprints and other construction drawings. Also, in this course students will learn the fundamentals of supervision/leadership. Students will learn the foundational elements of leadership for a first-time supervisor. Students will learn the components of guiding, instructing and correcting someone else and leading a crew of electricians. This course is designed to be a “hands-on” experience, and students will be able to apply best practices to real-world work situations.
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Time on Topic: 10 days / 80 hours
In this course students will be on the job site to apply the knowledge, and skills learned while in their program to the world of work. This is a learning experience, and students will not be used as replacement or regular employees. Students may or may not be paid for their internship. Internships will be coordinated and monitored by the program coordinator/lead instructor to ensure that the expected learning outcomes are achieved
Total Days / Total Hours
80 days / 640 hours
At the successful completion of the Program, a Certificate will be awarded by the Virginia Construction Trades Academy.
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