How to Pick the Right Welder Technical School near Troy New York

Locating the ideal welding school near Troy NY is an important first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the best one? Many people start by looking at the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have located those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important concerns when examining welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations 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 Certificate and Degree Training Programs

There are a number of options available to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade 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 combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Troy NY.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned 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 2 years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

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

Welder Certification Choices

There are multiple organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Troy NY employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered dependent on the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

• Operate in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specified metal thicknesses
• Work with certain kinds of welds
• Work in compliance with contract specifications

As formerly stated, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder trade school you decide on readies you for certification as needed.

Questions to Ask Welding Tech Programs

Once you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Troy NY area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously covered 2 significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the program you select is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are more factors you might need to consider before picking a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder technical school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard kinds of accreditation. The school may earn 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 select is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available in Troy NY for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welding certificate or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools should have partnerships 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 help students find employment and develop relationships within the Troy NY welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an instructional program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate might signify that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Troy NY employer relationships to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your selection of welding programs to 2 or 3 options, you should think out going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. 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 Troy NY welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we previously briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should address. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder program you select must be within commuting distance of your Troy NY home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, often their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in an area or state where you subsequently will want to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in bigger classes and not receive much personalized instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can experience just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk with a couple of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. 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 considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Troy NY, verify that the schools you are considering offer those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family circumstances.

Online Welder Training Programs

Welding is very much a manual type of vocation, and therefore not very compatible with online training. Having said that, there are some online welding courses offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Troy NY area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to start their training and education. However, the most critical 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 seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and make certain that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in Troy NY?

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

Choose the Best Welding Vocational School Troy NY

Choosing the best welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Becoming A Welder. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder school that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the type 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 different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Troy NY.