How to Find the Right Welder Technical School near Locust Grove Georgia

Finding the right welder technical school near Locust Grove GA is an important first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary concerns when evaluating welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training

There are a number of alternatives available to receive training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the Locust Grove GA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created primarily to develop welding skills. They can provide 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 usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welding school you choose should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are multiple organizations that offer welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Locust Grove GA employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder does. A few of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Work in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specified metal thicknesses
• Work with specific types of welds
• Operate based on contract specifications

As earlier mentioned, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, some additionally require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder technical school you select readies you for certification as needed.

Questions to Ask Welder Tech Schools

When you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding trade and vocational schools in the Locust Grove GA area. That’s why it’s necessary to establish up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered two significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to evaluate before selecting a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two basic types of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are often not offered in Locust Grove GA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Many welder certificate or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have partnerships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Locust Grove GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an instructional program and finish it. It’s important that the welding school you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only verify that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Locust Grove GA employer relationships to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. 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. If not, ask a local Locust Grove GA welding professional if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to cover. You should remember that unless you have the ability to move, the welder school you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Locust Grove GA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you subsequently will desire to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are looking at. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can see how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, chat with some of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Locust Grove GA, verify that the schools you are considering offer those options. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family circumstances.

Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs

Welding is very much a hands-on type of vocation, and for that reason not extremely suitable for online training. However, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Locust Grove GA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to initiate their training and education. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make certain that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Attending a Welding School in Locust Grove GA?

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

Pick the Best Welding Technical School Locust Grove GA

Choosing the ideal welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Best Colleges For Welding. However, as we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder school that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification also. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in Locust Grove GA.