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

How to Choose a Welder Certificate Program near Cordele Georgia

Cordele GA welding school studentChoosing the right welding trade school near Cordele GA is an essential first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose 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? Most people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important concerns when evaluating welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors 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 wise to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

Cordele GA welder working on pipingThere are a number of alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain 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. Below are short explanations of the most typical welding programs available in the Cordele GA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, created primarily to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental 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 offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to find out for your location of future employment. As needed, the welding school you select should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Choices

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

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

As earlier mentioned, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and confirm that the welding tech school you choose readies you for certification as needed.

How to Choose a Welder Tech School

Cordele GA welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Cordele GA area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already 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 qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. 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 following are some additional factors you may need to consider before selecting a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation might also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available in Cordele 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.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welder diploma or degree programs are offered 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 looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have partnerships 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 associations within the Cordele GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welder school you pick has a high completion rate. A low rate may signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Cordele GA contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welding programs to two or three possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. 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 Cordele GA welding professional if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the welding school you choose must be within driving distance of your Cordele GA home. If you do decide 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 especially the case for welder diploma 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 desire to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, chat with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Cordele GA, make certain that the schools you are looking at provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Cordele GA?

Perhaps you live in the Cordele 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.

Cordele, Georgia

In November 1864, the area that is now Cordele served as the temporary capital of Georgia. During the last days of the Confederacy, Georgia's war governor Joseph E. Brown used his rural farmhouse to escape the wrath of Sherman's March to the Sea. During that time the farmhouse, which Brown called "Dooly County Place," served as the official capital for only a few days. It was replaced in 1890 by the Suwanee Hotel, located in what became downtown Cordele. The hotel was destroyed by a fire in late 1994 and was rebuilt.

Cordele was founded in 1888 by J.E.D. Shipp of Americus. The town was located at the junction of two major railroads – the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery line, and the Georgia Southern & Florida. As the railroads brought more people and business to the newly settled territory, Cordele experienced phenomenal growth. Before 1905 Cordele was located in southern Dooly County, 9 miles (14 km) from the county seat in Vienna. With Cordele's continued progress, many in the community felt the need for a seat of government to be closer than Vienna. Crisp County was formed in 1905 by taking a portion of southern Dooly County, and Cordele became its county seat.

By August 1930, Cordele housed the Crisp County Hydroelectric System, the first county-owned electric system. Located on the Flint River, the hydroelectric plant continues to operate, and the resulting Lake Blackshear has attracted residents to its waterfront properties.

Online Welding Classes

pipe welder at work in Cordele GAWelding is very much a manual type of trade, and consequently not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Cordele GA area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to begin their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make sure that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Pick the Ideal Welding Vocational School Cordele GA

Selecting the right welder training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding training that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Cordele GA.

 

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