How to Select the Right Welding Degree Program near Oconee Georgia

Enrolling in the ideal welding trade school near Oconee GA is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you select the right one? A number of prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial issues when reviewing welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to establish a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

There are several options to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can earn a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Oconee GA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish 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 readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to find out for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you choose should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Options

There are various institutions that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Oconee GA employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder performs. A few of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As already stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder technical school you choose readies you for certification if needed.

Questions to Ask Welding Tech Programs

Once you have chosen the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Oconee GA area. That’s why it’s essential to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed two significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before picking a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two basic types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So make sure 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, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available in Oconee GA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Many welder degree or certificate programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist 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 utilize for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Oconee 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 crucial that the welder school you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate might indicate that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Oconee GA contacts to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have narrowed down your choice of welding schools to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Oconee GA welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding school you select must be within commuting distance of your Oconee GA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, apart from moving expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you ultimately will want to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not receive much individualized training. Ask what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can observe how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk to some of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Oconee GA, confirm that the schools you are assessing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family circumstances.

Online Welding Training

Welding is truly a hands-on kind of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Even so, there are a few online welding programs offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Oconee GA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to start their education and training. However, 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 have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and make certain that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in Oconee GA?

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

Choose the Ideal Welding Tech School Oconee GA

Picking the best welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Industrial Welding School. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Oconee GA.