How to Enroll In a Welding Certification Program near Elberton Georgia

Enrolling in the ideal welder technical school near Elberton GA is an important first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the right one? Most people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations when examining welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Programs

There are multiple 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 Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the Elberton GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and take about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore make sure to check for your location of future employment. As required, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Choices

There are a number of organizations that offer welding certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Elberton GA employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, 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. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welding tech school you choose prepares you for certification as needed.

How to Decide on a Welding Trade School

Once you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Elberton GA area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered a couple of significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you may want to evaluate before selecting a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder vocational school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two 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 has, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you select 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 make sure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Elberton GA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding certificate or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established 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 Elberton GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welder program you pick has a high completion rate. A low rate may indicate that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the training, the instructors, 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 confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Elberton GA employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have narrowed down your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using 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 Elberton GA welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should bear in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you pick must be within driving distance of your Elberton GA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you subsequently will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much one-on-one training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can experience how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk to some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Elberton GA, make certain that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Elberton GA?

Perhaps you live in the Elberton Georgia area, or have decided to enroll in a Welding Program that has a campus near there.  In either case, you may find this bit of history both interesting and informative.

Online Welder Training

Welding is truly a manual kind of trade, and therefore not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Elberton GA area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and make certain that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Choose the Best Welding Vocational Program Elberton GA

Picking the right welder training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each program provides different options for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Elberton GA.