How to Enroll In a Welder Technical School near Newton Georgia

Choosing the right welder vocational school near Newton GA is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you select the best one? Most people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when reviewing welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to develop 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 Degree and Certificate Training Classes

There are a number of options to get training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most common welding programs available in the Newton GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned mainly to develop 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 most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welder school you choose should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to providing the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are a number of institutions that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Newton GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder does. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Operate in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specific metal thicknesses
• Work with specific kinds of welds
• Operate based on contract specifications

As already mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder tech school you select preps you for certification if needed.

How to Choose a Welder Tech Program

After you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Newton GA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already covered a couple of significant ones that most people look at 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 program you choose is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are more factors you might want to evaluate before selecting a welding trade school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder tech school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national 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 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 acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a quality education, the accreditation may also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in Newton GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding degree or certificate programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools should have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish relationships within the Newton GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an educational program and complete it. It’s important that the welder program you select has a high completion rate. A lower rate might indicate that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Newton GA contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have limited your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should consider going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with in the field. 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 Newton GA welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to deal with. You should remember that unless you can move, the welding program you pick must be within commuting distance of your Newton GA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there might 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 an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you ultimately will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in bigger classes and not get much personalized training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welder schools you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk to a couple of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Newton GA, make certain that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Newton GA?

Perhaps you live in the Newton 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 Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

Welding is very much a hands-on type of profession, and consequently not very compatible with training online. Having said that, there are some online welding programs offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Newton GA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally 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 better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Best Welding Trade School Newton GA

Picking the right welder training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welder training that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Newton GA.