What are IEC electrical classes like?

First year IEC electrical classes cover mainly residential wiring. The first couple of weeks of first year include an introduction to the different types of tools and materials electricians may use on the job site and navigating the NEC®. During these classes, instructors show a variety of tools and share what their functions are.

There is a quick recap of some mathematical skills, then students are introduced to Ohm's Law and using the Ohm's Law Wheel for calculations. First year students then receive an introduction to reading residential blueprints and some specific Code requirements for dwelling units. Conductors, cables, overcurrent protection, and common voltage systems are also discussed. Near the end of the first quarter students practice bending conduit and learning how math can be used to perfect bends. All of this and more is taught in the first 9 weeks!

Second quarter dives further into switches, receptacles, and luminaires. Students learn how to calculate how many conductors and devices can be in each box size. Then the class looks further at blueprints and starts to draw wiring diagrams for different branch circuits in different areas of a home.

Third quarter continues the students' journey through blueprints and special requirements for each room in a dwelling. Fourth quarter covers the basics of service equipment, the cost of power, more ways to provide protection, solar power, and more! Students receive a lesson on safety every week, and learn a wide variety of topics that set apprentices up for success on-the-job and in their future years of school.

Norah, one of our first year students says "I've never even been on a job site and I attend online classes, so I thought it would be more difficult to pick up on the terminology and real world application. But my instructor has done a great job of not only explaining, but also showing, what we're learning and why we're learning it. There's an impressive amount of discussion for an online class, so I've definitely learned from my classmates as well; many of them work in the field. It is definitely a decent bit of work - four hours in class each week plus another four outside of class to complete homework and reading for the next class - but has absolutely been worth it so far, I'm shocked at how much I've gotten out of the class after only one semester."