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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Hardwick GA

How to Find the Right Welding Training Program near Hardwick Georgia

Hardwick GA welding school studentSelecting the right welding technical school near Hardwick GA is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you select the best one? A number of prospective students start by looking at the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary considerations when examining welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create 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.

Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

Hardwick GA welder working on pipingThere are multiple options to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief descriptions of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Hardwick GA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and require about a year to finish. 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 specialized skills for working welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take 2 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 supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you choose should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Choices

Hardwick GA welder working on poleThere are a number of organizations that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Hardwick GA employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As already mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make certain that the welding vocational school you select readies you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welder Technical School

Hardwick GA welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Hardwick GA area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered two important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. 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 vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may want to consider before selecting a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation may also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Hardwick GA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. A large number of welding degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools must have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can help students find employment and establish relationships within the Hardwick GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an educational program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Hardwick GA contacts to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. 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. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure 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 Hardwick GA welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welding program you select needs to be within driving distance of your Hardwick GA home. If you do opt 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 true for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, most 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 subsequently will desire to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much personalized training. Ask what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can see just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk to a few of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Hardwick GA, make sure that the schools you are assessing offer those choices. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Hardwick GA?

Perhaps you live in the Hardwick 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.

Hardwick, Georgia

Online Welding Courses

pipe welder at work in Hardwick GAWelding is truly a manual type of profession, and consequently not extremely compatible with training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Hardwick GA area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to start their education and training. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be done 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 expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and verify that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Right Welding Technical Program Hardwick GA

Picking the right welder training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to 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 type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification as well. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Hardwick GA.

 

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