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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Northport MI

How to Choose a Welding Certificate Program near Northport Michigan

Northport MI welding school studentEnrolling in the right welding school near Northport MI is an important first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? Most people start by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when examining 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 trade school to become a welder, it’s wise to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training Courses

Northport MI welder working on pipingThere are a number of options available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most typical welding programs available in the Northport MI.

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

Some states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welder school you select should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to supplying the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Choices

Northport MI welder working on poleThere are several organizations that offer welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Northport MI employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the kind of work that the welder does. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

  • Work in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with certain metal thicknesses
  • Work with certain types of welds
  • Perform according to contract specifications

As previously stated, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means 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 welding vocational school you select prepares you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welder Trade School

Northport MI welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welding trade and technical schools in the Northport MI area. That’s why it’s important to establish in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already covered two important ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may need to evaluate before selecting a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder technical school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two basic types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So confirm 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, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation can also help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable in Northport MI for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous 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 considering help 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. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Northport MI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welding school you choose has a higher completion rate. A low rate could mean that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, 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 affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Northport MI employer relationships to help students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have narrowed down your selection of welding programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Northport MI welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder program you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Northport MI 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 certificate programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely 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 ultimately will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not obtain much one-on-one training. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can observe just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, speak with a few of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Northport MI, make certain that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Northport MI?

Perhaps you live in the Northport Michigan 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.

Northport, Michigan

Northport is a village in Leelanau Township, Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 526 according to the 2010 U.S. census.[6] When Leelanau County was formed in 1863, Northport served as the first county seat from 1863 to 1883.

In 1848 Michigan suffered from a smallpox epidemic that affected the entire community of people. Chief Peter Waukazoo and Reverend George Smith moved the community as well as the Holland-area [7]Ottawa Mission up to the Leelanau Peninsula on boats or canoes. When the settlers had reached their destination they called it Waukazooville. Deacon Joseph Dame came to Waukazooville in 1854 and decided to change the name to Northport at this time.[8]

Northport was the largest town in Leelanau County for quite a while in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Several general stores were built in the town in 1859 which sold items such as cloth, thread, needles, foods, axes, and more. There was no doctor in town at this time so Reverend Smith was called on to deliver babies and help the ill.[8]

Online Welder Schools

pipe welder at work in Northport MIWelding is very much a hands-on kind of trade, and for that reason not extremely suitable for online training. Having said that, there are some online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Northport MI area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that would like to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and make certain that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Best Welding Technical Program Northport MI

Selecting the ideal welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welding training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification also. Probably The ideal 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 commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Northport MI.

 

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