MA The Maintenance Academy Maintenance 215 · Black Boots Initiative · shared with Foundational Fundamentals

Electrical

Electrical Technician

16 weeks · 28 lessons · 10 section tests · 13 written questions · final exam · 14 hands-on skills

A full first-year electrical course, written to the topics of a first-year apprenticeship and reviewed by licensed electricians.

What you will be able to do

  • Work safely: lockout/tagout, live-dead-live testing, NFPA 70E boundaries and PPE.
  • Use a multimeter and clamp meter correctly, and choose a meter rated for the job.
  • Do the math electricians use every day: Ohm's law, power, voltage drop, box fill and conduit offsets.
  • Find answers in the NEC and know the rules for dwelling circuits, GFCI and AFCI protection, grounding and bonding.
  • Install and test receptacles, switches (including three-way and four-way), GFCIs and fixtures.
  • Troubleshoot dead circuits, open neutrals and loose connections with a method.

How the course works

Lessons and check questions online, a test at the end of each section, and a final exam drawn from every section (80% to pass). The hands-on skills are signed off by an Academy instructor on a job site or in the shop, and listed on your certificate.

What you will be ready for

Applying for an electrical apprenticeship (union or merit shop), an electrician's helper job, or electrical work as a maintenance technician.

A note on credentials

This course covers the same topic areas as NCCER Electrical Level 1, but it is not accredited by NCCER and does not count as licensed apprenticeship hours. Pennsylvania has no statewide electrician license; in Philadelphia, electrical work needs a licensed electrical contractor and an L&I permit. Code references use NEC 2023 numbering; always confirm the edition your inspector enforces.

Course outline

  1. Week 1

    The Electrical Trade

    Careers, licensing, apprenticeship, codes and how electricians work.

    1. Careers in the electrical trade Video 30 min
    2. Getting into an apprenticeship Video 25 min
    3. Working with codes, inspectors and customers Video 25 min
    4. Section test (6 questions)
    5. Written answers (1 question)
  2. Weeks 2-3

    Safety for Electricians

    Shock and arc flash, NFPA 70E boundaries, lockout/tagout, an electrically safe work condition, and PPE.

    1. Shock and arc flash Video 35 min
    2. Lockout/tagout and verifying zero energy Video 35 min
    3. PPE and safe work practices Video 30 min
    4. Section test (8 questions)
    5. Written answers (2 questions)
  3. Week 4

    Electrical Test Equipment

    Multimeters, clamp meters, testers, measurement categories and using them safely.

    1. Multimeters, clamp meters and testers Video 35 min
    2. Meter safety ratings and care Video 25 min
    3. Section test (7 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)
  4. Weeks 5-6

    Electrical Theory and Circuits

    Ohm's law, power, series and parallel circuits, AC power systems, and voltage drop.

    1. Ohm's law and power Video 35 min
    2. Series and parallel circuits Video 35 min
    3. Alternating current basics Video 30 min
    4. Voltage drop and conductor length Video 30 min
    5. Section test (9 questions)
    6. Written answers (2 questions)
  5. Week 7

    Drawings and the National Electrical Code

    Reading electrical plans and specifications, and finding answers in the NEC quickly.

    1. Reading electrical drawings Video 30 min
    2. Finding your way in the NEC Video 30 min
    3. Section test (6 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)
  6. Weeks 8-9

    Boxes, Raceways and Conduit

    Box types and box fill, raceway types, support and fill, and conduit bending.

    1. Outlet and junction boxes, and box fill Video 35 min
    2. Raceways and conduit types Video 30 min
    3. Conduit bending basics Video 40 min
    4. Section test (9 questions)
    5. Written answers (1 question)
  7. Week 10

    Conductors and Cables

    Wire sizes, ampacity and its corrections, insulation, color codes and cable types.

    1. Wire size, ampacity and insulation Video 40 min
    2. Color coding and cable types Video 30 min
    3. Section test (8 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)
  8. Weeks 11-12

    Dwelling Wiring

    Services and panels, required circuits and outlets, GFCI and AFCI protection, and installing devices.

    1. Services, panels and branch circuits Video 40 min
    2. Receptacle and lighting outlet layout Video 30 min
    3. GFCI and AFCI protection Video 30 min
    4. Installing receptacles, switches and fixtures Video 35 min
    5. Section test (10 questions)
    6. Written answers (2 questions)
  9. Week 13

    Grounding, Bonding and Overcurrent Protection

    Grounding electrodes, bonding, equipment grounding conductors, breakers and fuses, and motor and HVAC circuits.

    1. Grounding and bonding Video 40 min
    2. Breakers and fuses Video 30 min
    3. Motor and air-conditioning circuits Video 30 min
    4. Section test (9 questions)
    5. Written answers (1 question)
  10. Week 14

    Troubleshooting and Service Calls

    A step-by-step method for finding electrical problems, common faults, and handling service calls.

    1. A troubleshooting method Video 40 min
    2. Service calls and the customer Video 25 min
    3. Section test (6 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)

  11. Final exam

    50 questions from every section, 80% to pass.

    1. Final exam

Hands-on skills

Show these to a Maintenance Academy instructor on a job site or in the shop. Each one they sign off appears on your certificate as a verified skill.

    1. Verify absence of voltage (live-dead-live)
      Tests the tester on a known live source, tests every conductor phase-to-phase, phase-to-neutral and phase-to-ground with a CAT III-rated tester, then re-tests on the known source. Wears safety glasses.
    2. Lock out and tag out a branch circuit
      Identifies the correct breaker, turns it off, applies a breaker lockout device, personal lock and completed tag, verifies absence of voltage at the work, and removes only their own lock afterward.
    3. Measure voltage, current, resistance and continuity
      Selects the right function and jacks, measures 120 V and 240 V correctly, measures current with a clamp around a single conductor, and measures resistance and continuity only on de-energized parts.
    4. Prepare and terminate NM cable
      Strips the sheath without nicking conductors, leaves at least 6 in of free conductor, strips insulation to the device gauge, wraps clockwise under terminals, and torques to the marked value.
    5. Install a single-pole switch with a neutral in the box
      Switches the hot, caps the neutral for future use, connects the equipment ground, mounts the switch plumb and flush, and tests operation.
    6. Wire a three-way switch circuit
      Connects supply to one common, travelers between switches, the other common to the luminaire; re-identifies any white conductor used as a hot; both switches control the light in every combination.
    7. Install a GFCI protecting downstream receptacles
      Identifies LINE and LOAD correctly, labels downstream receptacles 'GFCI Protected', and proves trip and reset with the test button and a plug-in tester.
    8. Calculate box fill and select a box
      Counts conductors, grounds, clamps and devices per NEC 314.16 for a given layout and chooses a box with enough volume; shows the math.
    9. Bend a 90-degree stub in ½-in EMT
      Applies the bender's take-up to make a stub within ⅛ in of the given height, plumb, with no dog-leg.
    10. Bend an offset in ½-in EMT
      Calculates distance between bends and shrink for a given offset and angle, and bends an offset that clears the obstruction and lands within ¼ in of the target, in one plane.
    11. Install and support an EMT run
      Cuts square, reams and deburrs, uses proper couplings and connectors, and secures within 3 ft of each box and every 10 ft.
    12. Install a luminaire on a rated box
      Confirms the box rating for the fixture's weight (or fan rating), supports the fixture from the box or structure, connects ground, neutral and hot correctly, and tests.
    13. Trace and label panel circuits
      Identifies service, main bonding jumper, neutral and ground bars, and breaker types; traces circuits with a tracer or by switching and writes an accurate, specific panel directory.
    14. Troubleshoot a dead receptacle to the root cause
      Follows the method (simple checks, measure, work back toward the source), finds the actual fault (tripped GFCI, open connection, failed device), repairs it, and explains the cause.