How to Choose the Right Welder Trade School near Oxford Mississippi
Locating the ideal welding technical school near Oxford MS is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the best one? A number of prospective students begin by looking at the schools that are closest to their homes. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important concerns when reviewing welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting 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 explore our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.
Welding Degree and Certificate Programs
There are several options available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical 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 courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most typical welding programs offered in the Oxford MS.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by technical and trade schools and take about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely to teach welding skills. They can provide 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 usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If required, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to take in addition to supplying the proper training to become a professional welder.
Welding Certification Options
There are various organizations that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Oxford MS employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered based on the kind of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specified metal thicknesses
- Work with various types of welds
- Operate in compliance with contract specifications
As formerly mentioned, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, many also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and verify that the welder vocational school you choose readies you for certification if needed.
What to Ask Welder Vocational Schools
After you have decided on the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welder vocational and trade schools in the Oxford MS area. That’s why it’s essential to establish in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed two significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the program you pick is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might want to consider before picking a welder vocational school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation can also assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Oxford MS for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welding certificate or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask 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 Oxford MS welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an instructional program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate could signify that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied 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 high job placement rate will not only verify that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Oxford MS employer relationships to help students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welder schools to two or three options, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained 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 unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Oxford MS welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.
School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to address. You should remember that unless you can move, the welding program you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Oxford MS home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately will wish to work.
Small Classes. One-on-one training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized training. Find out what the average 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 see just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, chat with some of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Oxford MS, make sure that the schools you are considering provide those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.
Online Welding Schools
Welding is truly a manual type of trade, and therefore not extremely compatible with training online. However, there are a few online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Oxford MS 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 give a novice a foundation to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Attending a Welding School in Oxford MS?
If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Oxford Mississippi area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract.
As of the 2010 US Census, the population is 18,916; the Census Bureau estimates the city's 2013 population at 20,865.[3] Oxford is the home of the University of Mississippi, founded in 1848, also commonly known as "Ole Miss".
Oxford and Lafayette County were formed from lands ceded by the Chickasaw in the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. The county was organized in 1836, and in 1837 three pioneers—John Martin, John Chisom, and John Craig—purchased land from Hoka, a female Chickasaw landowner, as a site for the town.[4] They named it Oxford, intending to promote it as a center of learning in the Old Southwest. In 1841, the Mississippi legislature selected Oxford as the site of the state university, which opened in 1848.
Choose the Best Welding Technical Program Oxford MS
Selecting the ideal welding training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Certified Welding Classes. However, as we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welding school that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world context, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Every training program offers unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Oxford MS.
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