Category Archives: Pennsylvania

Welding Courses For Beginners West Chester PA

How to Find the Right Welding Trade School near West Chester Pennsylvania

West Chester PA welding school graduateLocating the ideal welder trade school near West Chester PA is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? Many prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial concerns when reviewing welding trade 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 vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to establish 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 Degree and Certificate Training Programs

West Chester PA welding trade school studentThere are multiple options available to receive training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the West Chester PA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by technical and trade schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned mainly to develop 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 complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you select should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

West Chester PA welder working in constructionThere are multiple institutions that provide welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous West Chester PA employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. Some of the things that certification can attest to 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 formerly stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for 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 qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make certain that the welder vocational school you decide on preps you for certification as needed.

Points to Ask Welder Tech Programs

Questions to ask West Chester PA welding schoolsAs soon as you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welding vocational and trade schools in the West Chester PA area. That’s why it’s important to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed two significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the program you select is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you may want to evaluate before choosing a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard 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 has, such as Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you select is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are often not offered in West Chester PA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding degree or certificate programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out 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 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 referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the West Chester PA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an instructional program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder program you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate may mean that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of West Chester PA contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder programs to two or three 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. 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 already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local West Chester PA welding contractor if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed 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 welding program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your West Chester PA home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder diploma 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 wish to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be lost in larger classes and not obtain much individualized training. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder programs you are looking at. Inquire if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, speak with a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near West Chester PA, make certain that the schools you are assessing offer those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.

Online Welding Courses

student attending welding classes online in West Chester PAWelding is truly a manual type of vocation, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are some online welding classes offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater West Chester PA area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be accomplished online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that would like to advance their knowledge or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very cautious and make certain that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in West Chester PA?

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

West Chester, Pennsylvania

Much of the West Chester University of Pennsylvania North Campus and the Chester County government are located within the borough. The center of town is located at the intersection of Market and High Streets.

The area was originally known as Turk's Head—after the inn of the same name located in what is now the center of the borough.[5] West Chester has been the seat of government in Chester County since 1786 when the seat was moved from nearby Chester in what is now Delaware County. The borough was incorporated in 1799.[6] In the heart of town is its courthouse, a classical revival building designed in the 1840s by Thomas U. Walter, one of the architects for the Capitol in Washington, D.C.[7] In the 18th century West Chester was a center of clockmaking. In the late 19th century the Hoopes, Bro. and Darlington company became a major wheelworks, first for wagons and later automobiles.[8][9] In the early 20th century, an important industry was the Sharples cream separator company.[10] In the late 20th century, Commodore International, one of the pioneers of home computers, giving its headquarters as West Chester, was located approximately a mile northeast of the borough.[citation needed]

The West Chester Downtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Other listed buildings are the Bank of Chester County, Buckwalter Building, Butler House, Chester County Courthouse, William Everhart Buildings, Farmers and Mechanics Building, First Presbyterian Church of West Chester, New Century Clubhouse, Joseph Rothrock House, Sharples Homestead, Sharples Separator Works, Warner Theater, West Chester Boarding School for Boys, and the components of the West Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District.[11]

Pick the Best Welding Tech Program West Chester PA

Selecting the best welding training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Welding Courses For Beginners. However, as we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare between the programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder training that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new trade as a professional welder in West Chester PA.

 

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