How to Pick the Right Welding Certificate Program near Thomasville Alabama
Selecting the ideal welder trade school near Thomasville AL is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you select the best one? A number of prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial concerns when evaluating welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.
Welder Degree and Certificate Programs
There are several options to obtain training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Thomasville AL.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and take about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, created primarily to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for working welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
A number of states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As required, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the appropriate training to become a professional welder.
Welding Certification Alternatives
There are a number of organizations that provide welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Thomasville AL employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder does. Some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specific metal thicknesses
- Work with specific types of welds
- Perform in compliance with contract specifications
As formerly stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder vocational school you choose preps you for certification as needed.
Points to Ask Welding Trade Schools
Once you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Thomasville AL area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the school you pick is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to consider before choosing a welder trade school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation might also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Thomasville AL for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.
Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding degree or certificate programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish relationships within the Thomasville AL welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welder school you choose has a high completion rate. A reduced rate might mean that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only verify that the program has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Thomasville AL contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have decreased your selection of welder programs to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Thomasville AL welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.
School Location. Even though we previously briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should address. You should remember that unless you can move, the welding school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Thomasville AL home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in an area or state where you ultimately will want to work.
Small Classes. One-on-one training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in larger classes and not obtain much personalized training. Ask what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can experience how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with some of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk to a couple of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Thomasville AL, confirm that the schools you are considering provide those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.
Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on type of profession, and therefore not very compatible with online training. However, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Thomasville AL area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and make certain that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Attending a Welding School in Thomasville AL?
If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Thomasville Alabama area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.
Thomasville, Alabama
Thomasville is a city in Clarke County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 4,209.[3] Founded as a late 19th-century railroad town, it has transitioned over the course of more than a century into a 21st-century commercial hub.[5] It is the childhood hometown of author and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham.[6][7]
Thomasville was founded in 1888 and incorporated on November 24 of that year.[8] The former community of Choctaw Corner, dating back to the antebellum period, was a settlement west of what would become Thomasville, but when the merchants there learned that a railroad was going to bypass their town to the east, they decided to move their stores to be near the railroad.[9] The former community is now inside the city limits. The tracks between Mobile and Selma were completed the same year that Thomasville began. First referred to as "Choctaw", the town was named after railroad financier and former Union Civil War general, Samuel Thomas, after he donated $500 for the construction of Thomasville's first school.[5] The town had expanded by the end of the 19th century with numerous stores, several hotels and boarding houses, and a depot station.[5] In 1899, what is now downtown was destroyed by a fire that burned several blocks of the wood frame buildings. Thomasville quickly rebuilt, this time in brick, and was once again flourishing by the start of World War I.[9]
Over the next century, Thomasville continued to grow and expand. Over the years, many businesses came and others left. These included garment factories, sawmills, and cotton gins.[5] The railroad discontinued its use of the town's depot by the 1950s, but that time also saw the opening of Thomasville's FPS-35 radar base, part of the Air Defense Command's Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, bringing in servicemen and their families.[5] The prototype for the FPS-35 radar was developed at the Thomasville Aircraft Control and Warning Station.[10] The 1950s also saw the planting of roses along Highway 43, the main highway through Thomasville, earning it the nickname of The City of Roses. The 1960s and 1970s saw the opening of numerous paper mills in the area, an industry that continues to be important to the economy of Thomasville today. This time also saw businesses begin to relocate from downtown to the main highway. The Thomasville Historic District was designated in 1999 by the National Register of Historic Places.[11]
Find the Best Welding Vocational Program Thomasville AL
Picking the ideal welding training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Learning MIG Welding. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training program that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every training program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Thomasville AL.
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