How to Choose the Right Welder Degree Program near Redan Georgia
Locating the ideal welder school near Redan GA is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the best one? Many prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations 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 initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we examine 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 receive training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma 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 along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Redan GA.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned primarily to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welder school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a qualified welder.
Welder Certification Options
There are multiple institutions that offer welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Redan GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available dependent on the kind 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 specific metal thicknesses
- Work with certain kinds of welds
- Operate according to contract specifications
As already mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welding tech school you select preps you for certification as needed.
Subjects to Ask Welder Vocational Programs
When 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 vocational and trade schools in the Redan GA area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered two significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the school you pick 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 need to consider before choosing a welder technical school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding vocational school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 basic 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 example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, 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). Besides helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation can also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Redan GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Job Assistance and Apprenticeship 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 upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help 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 refer 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 establish relationships within the Redan GA welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an educational program and complete it. It’s important that the welder program you choose has a higher completion rate. A low rate may indicate that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Redan GA contacts to assist students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are unsure 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 Redan GA welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.
School Location. Even though we previously briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Redan GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, often their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you subsequently will desire to work.
Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not obtain much personalized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can experience how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with some of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk to a couple of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.
Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Redan GA, make sure that the schools you are considering offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Online Welder Courses
Welding is very much a manual kind of profession, and consequently not extremely compatible with online training. However, there are some online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Redan GA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a basis to initiate their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously 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 want to advance their knowledge or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and make sure that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Attending a Welding School in Redan GA?
If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Redan Georgia area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.
Redan, Georgia
Redan is a census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 33,015.[3] It is a predominantly African American community in eastern DeKalb County, and is a suburb of Atlanta.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 33,841 people, 11,748 households, and 8,517 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,542.0 people per square mile (1,368.2/km²). There were 12,106 housing units at an average density of 1,267.1/sq mi (489.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 5.68% White, 91.27% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.
There were 11,748 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 24.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.35.
Choose the Best Welding Tech School Redan GA
Selecting the right welder school 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 Night Classes For Welding. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are several things 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 assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Redan GA.
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