Tag Archives: Welding Colleges Near Me Concord GA 30206

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

How to Select a Welding Degree Program near Concord Georgia

Concord GA welding school studentFinding the ideal welder trade school near Concord GA is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the best one? A number of people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations when evaluating welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible 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 Certificate and Degree Training

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

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by trade and technical schools and take about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned largely to teach welding skills. They can furnish 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 furnishes a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

Concord GA welder working on poleThere are several organizations that provide welding certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Concord GA employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. A few of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welding tech school you decide on prepares you for certification as needed.

How to Choose a Welding Tech School

Concord GA welder working on carWhen you have chosen the credential you would like to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Concord GA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that most 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 decide on is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to evaluate before choosing a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding technical school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation can also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable in Concord GA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask 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 referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Concord GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding program you choose has a higher completion rate. A low rate could mean that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Concord GA contacts to help students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Concord GA welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the welder program you select must be within commuting distance of your Concord GA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement 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 want to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can experience how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Concord GA, confirm that the schools you are assessing offer those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Concord GA?

Perhaps you live in the Concord 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.

Concord, Georgia

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1887 as the "Town of Concord".[4] The community took its name from the Concord Primitive Baptist Church, which stood at the site since the early 1840s.[5]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 336 people, 118 households, and 92 families residing in the town. The population density was 403.5 people per square mile (156.3/km²). There were 128 housing units at an average density of 153.7 per square mile (59.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 73.81% White, 24.70% African American, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.

There were 118 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.26.

Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs

pipe welder at work in Concord GAWelding is truly a hands-on type of trade, and therefore not very compatible with training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Concord GA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and verify that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Ideal Welding Trade Program Concord GA

Selecting the ideal welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are evaluating includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers unique options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Concord GA.

 

The location could not be found.

 

Business Results 1 - 10 of 1

Bullzye Fence
2 Reviews
Fences & Gates
Phone:
McDonough, GA 30252