How to Find the Right Welder Technical School near Dawsonville Georgia

Finding the ideal welder vocational school near Dawsonville GA is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the right one? A number of prospective students begin by looking at the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have located those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary issues when examining welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop 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 alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most common welding programs available in the Dawsonville GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned mainly to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are multiple organizations that provide welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Dawsonville GA employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder does. Some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Operate in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specific metal thicknesses
• Work with various types of welds
• Operate in compliance with contract specifications

As formerly stated, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welder trade school you select preps you for certification if needed.

Points to Ask Welder Trade Schools

Once you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welding trade and technical schools in the Dawsonville GA area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered a couple of significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the school you select is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to consider before choosing a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding vocational school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. 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). In addition to helping ensure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation may also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not offered in Dawsonville GA 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 also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Many welding degree or diploma programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Dawsonville GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder school you choose has a higher completion rate. A lower rate may mean that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Dawsonville GA employer relationships to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Dawsonville GA welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to cover. You should remember that unless you can move, the welding program you choose must be within commuting distance of your Dawsonville GA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, most likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you subsequently will desire to work.

Small Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not receive much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can see how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk to some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Dawsonville GA, make certain that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family circumstances.

Online Welding Training

Welding is truly a hands-on type of trade, and therefore not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are some online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Dawsonville GA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in Dawsonville GA?

If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Dawsonville Georgia area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.

Find the Ideal Welding Technical School Dawsonville GA

Selecting the right welder training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Welding Vocational Schools. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder training program that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Dawsonville GA.