How to Enroll In the Right Welder Certification Class near Lithia Springs Georgia

Locating the right welding technical school near Lithia Springs GA is an important first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important considerations when reviewing welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to develop a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

There are multiple 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 made available along with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Lithia Springs GA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and take 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 specialized skills for working welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

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

Welding Certification Options

There are several organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Lithia Springs GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder vocational school you select prepares you for certification if needed.

What to Ask Welding Tech Schools

Once you have chosen the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Lithia Springs GA area. That’s why it’s important to determine up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously covered two significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you might want to consider before picking a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation may also help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Lithia Springs GA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Lithia Springs GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s essential that the welder program you choose has a high completion rate. A reduced rate could signify that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Lithia Springs GA employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welder schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Lithia Springs GA welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the welding school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Lithia Springs GA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, 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 an area or state where you ultimately will wish to work.

Small Classes. Personalized instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in bigger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welding programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can witness just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with several of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Lithia Springs GA, make sure that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.

Online Welding Schools

Welding is very much a hands-on type of vocation, and consequently not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are some online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Lithia Springs GA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical 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 have to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in Lithia Springs GA?

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

Choose the Best Welding Tech School Lithia Springs GA

Selecting the best welding training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Training For Welding. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers unique options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Lithia Springs GA.