If you want to become an electrician, you can do it one of two ways. You can go to an electrician trade school in Delaware or elsewhere, or you can go directly through an apprenticeship. Either way, you're probably going to need to go through an apprenticeship regardless. But some paths can be more difficult than others.
Trade Schools Lead Into Apprenticeship
If you go to a trade school, it will eventually lead to introducing you to someone to apprentice under. So, trade schools don't supplant apprenticeship. Instead, they teach you the skills that you need to become an apprentice, giving you the basic information.
It's difficult for someone to become an apprentice without trade school. You often need to have connections within the industry, or some time working within the industry yourself. Thus, trade school operates as an introduction into apprenticeship.
Trade Schools Prepare You for Work in the Industry
A trade school will teach you more than just basic electrician skills. Trade schools will also connect you to unions and other information that you need to work in the industry. A trade school builds up your hard skills and your soft skills, and gives you networking opportunities.
If you go directly to an apprenticeship, you'll need to rely upon your mentor for everything: your skills, your networking, and your opportunities. While this can be an excellent option with the right mentor, it requires that your relationship with your mentor be extremely solid.
During trade school, you can also determine whether electrician work is right for you. If it isn't, you can move laterally within the school to a different trade.
Apprenticeships Are a Virtual Necessity
As mentioned, an apprenticeship is going to be a requirement. You generally can't get into the electrician field without going through an apprenticeship regardless, so a trade school alone isn't going to get your foot in the door. If you are confident in your skills, going into an apprenticeship first may make sense.
You can consider going directly into an apprenticeship if you already have significant experience in the industry, you don't need any further study, and you have connections within the electrical field.
Ultimately, you're going to eventually need an apprenticeship to become an electrician. But for most electrical candidates, going to an electronics grade program beforehand makes sense. Electrical trade schools give you the information, training, and connections you need to get an apprenticeship, in addition to preparing you for your future work.