Degrees, Certificates, & Transfer Programs

Apprenticeship - General Electrician 2020-2021

The General Electrician program consists of a comprehensive course of study necessary for career success as a General Electrician. This program is intended to meet the "whole program status" as required by the Department of Apprenticeship Standards. Graduates will have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to function as general electricians including foundation sciences, mathematics, safety, plan and code reading, as well as necessary job based skills. Upon completion of required work experience and hours, graduates will be qualified to take the State certification examination and work as electricians. Career opportunities for qualified general electricians in the constructions trades are very diverse. Depending on the student's career interest and courses taken, graduates find employment as General Electricians in commercial, industrial, and residential areas, voice data video technicians, fire/life safety technicians, or non-residential lighting technicians.

The Residential Wireman program is offered in partnership with Santa Clara County Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee. This 3-year apprenticeship program provides students with paid on-the-job training and in-class instruction with no tuition fee. The students will learn how to install and connect electrical systems in homes, condos and apartments, and how to maintain basic electrical and power distribution systems within a residential environment.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Students gain hands-on experience as they work on electrical systems and component wiring to include: power distribution systems, electrical panels, wiring, conduit, piping, test equipment, transformers, motors, grounding, over-current protection, security, solar and home automation systems. These specialized skills are acquired through on-the-job training and classroom instruction and lead to employment in the construction and service industry. After five years of classroom and work experience, students who pass the state license exam are recognized as journeypersons in the electrical trades industry.
Residential Wireman students will be able to identify the tools and the materials used in residential wiring, to calculate values using Ohm's Law in D/C series, parallel and combination circuits, to identify architectural and mechanical symbols on residential drawings, and to read and to analyze blueprints, diagram structured wiring systems.

Career Opportunities:

Upon completion of all course requirements and 8,000 hours of related work experience for a Inside Wireman, graduates will be eligible for the State certified Electrician Examination. Depending on the student's career interest and courses taken, graduates find employment as General Electricians in commercial, industrial, and residential areas, voice data video technicians, fire/life safety technicians, solar and photovoltaic installers and non-residential lighting technicians. Upon completion of all course requirements and 4000 hours for Residential Wireman, graduates will be eligible for the State Electrician certification and will be eligible to receive a Certificate of Achievement in Residential Wireman from Foothill College and an Apprenticeship Completion Certificate from the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS). Depending on the student's career interest, graduates find employment as residential electrician, foreman, contractor, and educator.

Units Required

Degree Requirements:

-English proficiency: ENGL 1A, 1AH, 1S & 1T, or equivalent.
-Mathematics proficiency: MATH 105, 180, or any MATH course approved for Foothill GE Area V, Communication & Analytical Thinking.
A minimum of 90 units is required* to include:
-Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
-Core courses (40-46 units)

*Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

NOTE: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core courses used for the degree or certificates.

Core Courses (40-46 units)

APEL 120 Orientation to the Electrical Trade (4 units)
or APEL 120A Orientation to the Electrical Trade, CPR & First Aid (5 units)
APEL 121 Electron Theory; Basic Blueprint Reading; DC Theory; National Electrical Code Introduction (4 units)
or APEL 121A Electron Theory; AC & DC Electrical Theory; NEC Introduction; Parallel & Combination Circuits (5 units)
APEL 122 Codeology; Test Equipment; Pipe Bending; Blueprints (4 units)
or APEL 122A Codeology; NEC Code; Test Equipment; Pipe Bending; Blueprints (5 units)
APEL 123 AC Theory; Transformers; Intermediate National Electrical Code (4 units)
or APEL 123A Grounding & Bonding, Overcurrent Protection, Code & Practices, Blueprints, Codeology Skills (5 units)
APEL 124 DC/AC Theory Review; Electronics; Industrial Blueprints (4 units)
or APEL 124A DC/AC Theory Review; Electronics; Industrial Blueprints; Transformers, Grounding; Electrical Systems (5 units)
APEL 125 NEC Grounding; Overcurrent Protection; Transformer Connections (4 units)
or APEL 125A Fire Alarm Systems, Emergency Communication Systems, Public Emergency Systems (5 units)
APEL 126 Motors; Motor Control; Lighting Protection (4 units)
APEL 127 Digital Electronics; Motor Speed Control; Advanced National Electrical Code (4 units)
APEL 128 Programmable Logic Controllers; Low-Voltage Systems & High-Voltage Systems (4 units)
APEL 129 National Electrical Code Review (4 units)

Certificate Requirements

Certificate of Achievement in Inside Wireman

Units: 40-46

The certificate of achievement is awarded upon completion of the core courses. General education courses are not required.

Currently offered at: San Francisco and San Jose.

Certificate of Achievement in Residential Wireman (18 Units)

APEL 112 Residential Electrical Air Conditioning & Refrigeration; Telephone Systems (3 units)
APEL 113 Residential Electrical Systems: Basic Security, Solar Power, Home Automation & Life Safety (3 units)
APEL 135 Residential Electrical Orientation; Safety & Code Introduction (3 units)
APEL 136 Residential Electrical D/C Theory; Blueprint Reading (3 units)
APEL 137 Residential Electrical A/C Theory & Circuitry (3 units)
APEL 138 Residential Wiring Layout & Installation (3 units)

Currently offered at: San Jose.

Residential Electrician Career Certificate (18 Units) [Non-Transcriptable]

APEL 112 Residential Electrical Air Conditioning & Refrigeration; Telephone Systems (3 units)
APEL 113 Residential Electrical Systems: Basic Security, Solar Power, Home Automation & Life Safety (3 units)
APEL 135 Residential Electrical Orientation; Safety & Code Introduction (3 units)
APEL 136 Residential Electrical D/C Theory; Blueprint Reading (3 units)
APEL 137 Residential Electrical A/C Theory & Circuitry (3 units)
APEL 138 Residential Wiring Layout & Installation (3 units)

Currently offered at: San Jose.

Control Information:
2020-2021 | Status: Approved | Modified: 2020-07-23 11:24:02 | Dept Code: APEL