How to Pick the Right Welding Training Class near Country Club Hills Illinois
Enrolling in the ideal welding trade school near Country Club Hills IL is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the right one? Most people start by checking out the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial considerations when examining welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s wise to create 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.
Welder Certificate and Degree Programs
There are several options to obtain training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Country Club Hills IL.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally made available by technical and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, created 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 provides a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Some states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welding school you select should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.
Welder Certification Choices
There are several institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Country Club Hills IL employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned 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 attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specified metal thicknesses
- Work with specific types of welds
- Operate in compliance with contract specifications
As previously stated, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and confirm that the welding trade school you choose preps you for certification as needed.
Topics to Ask Welder Vocational Schools
As soon as you have decided on the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are many welder vocational and trade schools in the Country Club Hills IL area. That’s why it’s important to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered two significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the program you choose is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you might want to consider before choosing a welder tech school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder tech school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are 2 basic types 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, 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 acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in Country Club Hills IL for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding certificate or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools should have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop associations within the Country Club Hills IL welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an educational program and finish it. It’s essential 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 dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Country Club Hills IL employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder schools to 2 or 3 options, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are uncertain 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 Country Club Hills IL welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.
School Location. Although we already briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to address. You should remember that unless you have the ability to move, the welder school you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Country Club Hills IL home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement 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 want to work.
Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in larger classes and not get much one-on-one training. Ask what the average class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.
Convenient Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Country Club Hills IL, make certain that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Online Welder Courses
Welding is truly a manual type of profession, and for that reason not very suitable for training online. Even so, there are some online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Country Club Hills IL area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to initiate their education and training. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly 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 find an online welding degree or certificate program, be very cautious and make sure that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Attending a Welding School in Country Club Hills IL?
If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Country Club Hills Illinois area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.
Country Club Hills, Illinois
According to the 2010 census, Country Club Hills has a total area of 4.838 square miles (12.53 km2), of which 4.82 square miles (12.48 km2) (or 99.63%) is land and 0.018 square miles (0.05 km2) (or 0.37%) is water.[6]
As of the 2010 census, there were 16,541 people, 5,662 households, and 4,243 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,431.7 people per square mile (1,325.0/km²). There were 6,102 housing units at an average density of 1,266.0 per square mile (488.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 8.7% White, 87.1% Black, 2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 1.1% some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.[3]
There were 5,662 households, out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were headed by married couples living together, 26.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92, and the average family size was 3.41.[3]
Choose the Right Welding Trade Program Country Club Hills IL
Picking the right welder school will probably 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 Pipe Welding Classes. However, as we have addressed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding training that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Country Club Hills IL.
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