Advanced Technical Schooling

What Advanced Technical Schooling Is

Advanced Technical Schooling (ATS) is an online school for the electrical trade. It sells self-paced electrical apprenticeship courses, journeyman and master electrician exam prep, and continuing education courses, and it runs an Apprentice Management Program for the contractors who employ those apprentices. The About page says ATS is approved by state licensing and apprenticeship authorities in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Wyoming, Virginia, Alaska, Montana and Michigan, is licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Education to operate as a private postsecondary career school (License # ADDO-207), and is an approved Related Technical Instruction (RTI) provider through the U.S. Department of Labor.

The pitch is simple: apprentices complete their classroom hours online, on their own schedule, while they keep working in the field. The About page says the program "meets all required state and industry standards and covers the full range of electrical apprenticeship training," and that it is built using trusted industry resources, including Mike Holt and ATP materials.

The company was founded in 2019 by Nathan Poland, its Founder and Director. The site says he has worked in the electrical industry since 1998, holds Master Electrician licenses in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine and a Journeyman license in Massachusetts, serves on the New Hampshire Electricians' Board, and is an Education Committee Member of the Electrical Contractors Business Association (ECBA). He previously taught Electrical Technology at a high school and directed a New Hampshire night apprenticeship program.

The Four-Year Apprenticeship Program

The core product is a four-year electrical apprenticeship program sold one year at a time: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4. Each year comes in two versions. The Interactive Online Electrical Program is listed for New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, from $495.00 every 3 months for 6 months. The Standard Online Electrical Program is listed for New Hampshire, Vermont, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Michigan, from $428.33 every 3 months for 6 months. The site has a page explaining the difference between Interactive and Standard courses, and each version has its own student portal.

Learners pick their state on the home page and see the courses approved for that area. Apprentices who are ahead in their field hours can complete up to two years of schooling in one calendar year, so someone with plenty of field experience is not held to the classroom pace of a traditional program. An optional weekly course schedule keeps the work organized for those who want structure.

There is no semester calendar. The site says you can enroll anytime during the year and gain course access upon purchase; first-time students receive access after orientation. The home page lays out four steps: place your order and check out, receive tracking information for your books within 2 business days, attend a brief online orientation, and then start the course and complete it at your own pace. Books are included in the tuition cost, and the About page says ATS allows payment plans and credit card payments.

Instructor Support

Self-paced does not mean unsupported here. The About page says apprentices can get their questions answered by experienced Master Electricians via portal messaging, email, or scheduled one-on-one Zoom sessions. Orientation for new students also runs over Zoom: apprentices log into their student portal, learn to navigate it, find answers to questions and discover supplemental training resources. A Google review shown on the home page from Jason Nadeau reads, "I highly recommend ATS for the Electrical Program. Go at your own pace program is great," and names Nathan and Mark as instructors.

Exam Prep and Continuing Education

For apprentices nearing the end, ATS sells a Journeyman Electrician Exam Prep Course and a Master Electrician Exam Prep Course, each in a 2020 and a 2023 version, at $299.00 each on the Maine course page. Completers of the ATS Year 4 program receive the Journeyman Exam Prep Course for free, which the About page frames as support when you are ready to take the journeyman's exam.

The continuing education side serves licensed electricians. The Maine course page lists "Grounding and Bonding: Essentials to Keep You Current," marked for all US states, at $149.00, and three Maine 45-hour courses at $425.00 each: Blueprint Reading, Controls I and Controls II. The exam prep and grounding courses carry a CEU label on that page. For Michigan, the State Approvals page gives a CE Broker tracking number (20-1324077) and links to the CE Broker course listing, which is how licensed electricians there would find the approved courses.

Apprentice Management Program for Employers

The Apprentice Management Program (AMP) is the part of ATS aimed at contractors. The site calls it a full-service system where ATS does the heavy lifting on training and documentation of your apprentices, so the employer can focus on customers and the business. All AMP benefits are included in the price of the course. What the page lists:

• Multiple apprentice discount: employers signing up 3 or more apprentices receive a discount of $85 per course.
• Monthly reporting: a report each month listing all your apprentices and their progress, including current overall grade, weeks completed and participation.
• Grade reports: on request at the end of a course, a report with every lesson completed and the grade for each activity and exam.
• Proof of enrollment: ATS generates an enrollment letter on request, ready to submit to any state that requires one.
• Certificate of completion: apprentice and employer receive a certificate of completion with the final course grade.
• Customization: the page says employers have full control over what is included in the curriculum and can add hands-on components or training on installations apprentices do not usually see; ATS also offers to develop custom in-house training programs.
• DOL approval: for employers who want to become DOL-approved and bid prevailing wage jobs, ATS says it works with all Northern New England DOL offices.

Registration is either an online order or, for several apprentices, a Custom Order Form, after which ATS sends an invoice payable by card or check (the home page mentions a QuickBooks invoice). Apprentices can start as soon as they start with the employer, with no need to wait until September. The sign-up form says ATS typically responds within one business day.

State Approvals

The State Approvals page sets out the paperwork by state. In New Hampshire, ATS is licensed by the Department of Education (License number ADDO-207) and listed on the Electricians' Examining Board's Apprentice Approved Programs document. In Maine, it holds Provider Number 144 and links to the board's approved courses. In Virginia, its Education Provider Number is 2730000466, with a link to the Virginia Board for Contractors list of approved tradesman formal vocation training providers. Vermont, Wyoming, Alaska and Montana each link to their Electricians' Examining Board, and Michigan carries the CE Broker number above. The page itself advises readers to check the current position with their state's licensing board.

Who It Suits

ATS suits electrical apprentices in the eight listed states who want to finish their classroom requirement online while working full time, particularly those who have field hours to spare and want to move through two years of schooling in one. Small and mid-sized electrical contractors with a few apprentices get the most from AMP: one school for everyone, monthly progress reports, an $85 per course discount from three apprentices, and help with enrollment letters and DOL registration. Licensed electricians who need continuing education, or who are preparing for the journeyman or master exam, can buy single courses without joining the full program.

The limits are geographic. The apprenticeship programs are listed only for specific states, and the Interactive version only for New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, so an apprentice elsewhere would need to confirm with their own board before enrolling. The site publishes no completion or exam pass figures.