Tag Archives: How to Become a Certified Welder near Whitmore Lake MI 48189

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

How to Choose a Welding Certification Program near Whitmore Lake Michigan

Whitmore Lake MI welding school studentSelecting the right welder technical school near Whitmore Lake MI is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you select the right one? A number of people start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important considerations when reviewing 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 vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to establish 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 Degree and Certificate Training Programs

Whitmore Lake MI welder working on pipingThere are multiple alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain 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 along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Whitmore Lake MI.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created primarily 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 extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you select should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to supplying the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Options

Whitmore Lake MI welder working on poleThere are multiple institutions that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Whitmore Lake MI employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

  • Work in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with specific metal thicknesses
  • Work with various types of welds
  • Work in compliance with contract specifications

As formerly mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for various types 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, check the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding trade school you choose readies you for certification as needed.

How to Choose a Welder Trade Program

Whitmore Lake MI welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Whitmore Lake MI area. That’s why it’s important to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already covered 2 important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the school you decide on 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 evaluate before selecting a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder technical school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, 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, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable in Whitmore Lake MI for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding degree or diploma programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations with local unions and various 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 develop associations within the Whitmore Lake MI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welder school you choose has a high completion rate. A reduced rate could mean that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, 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 affirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Whitmore Lake MI contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure 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 on the job. 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. If not, ask a local Whitmore Lake MI welding contractor 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 address. You should keep in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Whitmore Lake MI home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, apart from moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much one-on-one training. Find out what the average class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend a few classes so that you can see how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Also, speak with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Whitmore Lake MI, make certain that the schools you are assessing provide those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Whitmore Lake MI?

Perhaps you live in the Whitmore Lake 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.

Whitmore Lake, Michigan

Whitmore Lake is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community spans the boundary between Green Oak Township in Livingston County and Northfield Township in Washtenaw County. The United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place (CDP) with this name for statistical purposes, which has no legal status as an incorporated municipality. The population was 6,423 at the 2010 census.[3]

The community is located about 9 miles (14 km) north of Ann Arbor and about 9 miles (14 km) south of Brighton. It is situated around the shores of Whitmore Lake, and the CDP also includes the area around the smaller Horseshoe Lake to the south, Lawton Lake to the east and Monahan Lake to the northeast. U.S. Highway 23 forms the western edge of much of the CDP.[4]

The Whitmore Lake post office, with ZIP code 48189, serves a larger area than that defined by the CDP and includes portions of southeast Hamburg Township, northeastern Webster Township, and larger parts of Green Oak and Northfield Townships than are included in the CDP.[5]

Online Welder Training

pipe welder at work in Whitmore Lake MIWelding is very much a manual kind of profession, and consequently not extremely suitable for online training. Even so, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Whitmore Lake MI area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to begin their training and education. However, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Right Welding Trade School Whitmore Lake MI

Selecting the best welding school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Whitmore Lake MI.

 

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