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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Calabasas CA

How to Pick a Welding Certificate Program near Calabasas California

Calabasas CA welding school studentChoosing the right welding vocational school near Calabasas CA is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of 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 select the best one? A number of prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary concerns when evaluating welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen 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

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

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned primarily to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional 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 provides a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore make sure to find out for your location of future employment. If required, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to providing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Options

Calabasas CA welder working on poleThere are several institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Calabasas CA employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As already mentioned, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number additionally require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and verify that the welding technical school you choose preps you for certification if needed.

How to Decide on a Welding Tech School

Calabasas CA welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Calabasas CA area. That’s why it’s important to determine 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 stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to evaluate before selecting a welding trade school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may receive 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 alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation might also help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Calabasas CA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welder degree or diploma programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools should have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Calabasas CA 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 program you choose has a high completion rate. A lower rate could signify that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Calabasas CA contacts to help students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have decreased your choice of welder schools to two or three possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Calabasas CA welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder school you pick must be within driving distance of your Calabasas CA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, 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 ultimately will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, speak with a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Calabasas CA, confirm that the schools you are assessing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Calabasas CA?

Perhaps you live in the Calabasas California 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.

Calabasas, California

Calabasas is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the hills west of the San Fernando Valley and in the northwest Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, Hidden Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 23,058, up from 20,033 at the 2000 census.[9] The city was formally incorporated in 1991.

It is generally accepted that the name of Calabasas is derived from the Spanish calabaza meaning "pumpkin", "squash", or "gourd"[11] (cf. calabash). Some historians hold the theory that Calabasas is derived from the Chumash word calahoosa which is said to mean "where the wild geese fly."[12] Owing to vast presence of wild squash plants in the area, the squash theory is more prevalent among local residents. At the top of the Calabasas grade, which is east of Las Virgenes Road on the original El Camino Real, legend has it that in 1824, a Basque rancher from Oxnard spilled a wagonload of pumpkins on the road en route to Los Angeles. The following spring, hundreds of pumpkin seeds sprouted alongside the road. The area was named Las Calabasas—the place where the pumpkins fell.[13]

In honor of its namesake, the City of Calabasas and the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce hold an annual Pumpkin Festival in October, including carnival games, exhibits, demonstrations, and live entertainment. The festival has evolved from a small-town fair to a significant annual event. Though the current Pumpkin Festival is held at Juan Bautista de Anza Park in Calabasas, the original festival was believed to have taken place where the traveling wagon carrying pumpkins overturned and started the area's first pumpkin patch.

Online Welding Courses

pipe welder at work in Calabasas CAWelding is truly a hands-on kind of vocation, and therefore not extremely suitable for online training. Even so, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Calabasas CA area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to initiate their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be accomplished online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Best Welding Technical Program Calabasas CA

Choosing the best welder training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welding training that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every program provides different options for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Calabasas CA.

 

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