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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Marion AR

How to Enroll In a Welder Technical School near Marion Arkansas

Marion AR welding school studentSelecting the right welder technical school near Marion AR is an important first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you select the best one? Most people begin by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary concerns when examining welder technical 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 vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise 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 Programs

Marion AR welder working on pipingThere are several alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical 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 offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most common welding programs available in the Marion AR.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and take about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed primarily to develop 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 complete and are most often 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.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to check for your location of future employment. As required, the welding school you select should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

Marion AR welder working on poleThere are various organizations that provide welding certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Marion AR employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. Some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As formerly mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder tech school you select readies you for certification if needed.

How to Choose a Welding Vocational School

Marion AR welder working on carAs soon as you have chosen the credential you would like to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and vocational schools in the Marion AR area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already discussed a couple of important ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the program you pick is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you might need to consider before picking a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding vocational school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 standard kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, 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 obtain an excellent education, the accreditation may also assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Marion AR 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 Placement Programs. A large number of welding certificate or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools should have relationships with local unions and other 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 assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Marion AR welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder program you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate could indicate that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Marion AR employer relationships to help students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your selection of welding schools to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure 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 working with in the field. If you are not sure 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 Marion AR welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we should deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welder school you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Marion AR home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding 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 ultimately will want to work.

Small Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in bigger classes and not receive much personalized instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk with a few of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Marion AR, verify that the schools you are assessing provide those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Marion AR?

Perhaps you live in the Marion Arkansas 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.

Marion, Arkansas

Marion is a city in and the county seat of Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 12,345 at the 2010 census, a 38.7% increase since 2000.[3] The city is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. It is the second largest city in Crittenden County, behind West Memphis.

Although Marion was incorporated in 1896, the community predates that significantly. The site of Marion was part of Louisiana (New Spain) from 1764 to 1803, when it became Louisiana (New France). Some of the oldest land titles in the area are from Spanish land grants from a time prior to the Louisiana Purchase.[4] After the Louisiana Purchase the area was part of the Arkansas Territory. During the 1830s the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of Native Americans from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, passed through the area.[5][6] Its location is close to where the Sultana Steamboat exploded and sunk. A memorial is placed on the city hall square to remember those lost in the accident

Marion, AR was named after Marion Tolbert. In 1837 two commissioners had been appointed by the county court to select a site for a new county seat. Tolbert and his wife Temperance gave a deed to the commissioners "for the county of Crittenden for county purposes" on June 25, 1837. A town was laid out, named Marion in honor of Marion Tolbert and was made the county seat of Crittenden County, AR.[7] Marion has been incorporated on multiple occasions, first in 1851. The current incorporation dates from 1896.

Online Welding Classes

pipe welder at work in Marion ARWelding is truly a hands-on kind of vocation, and for that reason not extremely compatible with online training. However, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Marion AR area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle 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 more appropriate for seasoned welders that would like to advance their expertise or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and verify that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Right Welding Trade School Marion AR

Selecting the ideal welder training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welding school that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out 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 school you select is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in Marion AR.

 

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