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

How to Choose a Welder Training Program near Oxford Michigan

Oxford MI welding school studentChoosing the right welding vocational school near Oxford MI is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important issues when examining welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning 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 explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training

Oxford MI welder working on pipingThere are several options available to get training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses 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 available in the Oxford MI.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed mainly to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welder school you select should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Options

Oxford MI welder working on poleThere are several institutions that provide welder certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Oxford MI employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As already mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some additionally require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welder tech school you select preps you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welder Vocational School

Oxford MI welder working on carWhen you have decided on the credential you want to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Oxford MI area. That’s why it’s essential to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant 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 need to be looked at. After all, the school you select is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you may need to consider before choosing a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder vocational school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two standard kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a superior education, the accreditation might also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Oxford MI for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Oxford MI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder program you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate may 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 a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Oxford MI employer relationships to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting 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 working with in the field. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Oxford MI welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a few additional points that we should cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder program you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Oxford MI home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you subsequently will wish to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in larger classes and not receive much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welding programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can observe just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Oxford MI, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Oxford MI?

Perhaps you live in the Oxford 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.

Oxford

Oxford (/ˈɒksfərd/ OKS-fərd)[5][6] is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire. With an estimated 2016 population of 170,350, it is the 52nd largest city in the United Kingdom,[7][8] and one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse.[9][10] The city is 51 miles (82 km) from London, 61 miles (98 km) from Bristol, 59 miles (95 km) from Southampton, 57 miles (92 km) from Birmingham and 24 miles (39 km) from Reading.

The city is known worldwide as the home of the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.[11] Buildings in Oxford demonstrate notable examples of every English architectural period since the late Saxon period. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold. Oxford has a broad economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses, some being academic offshoots.

Oxford was first settled in Anglo-Saxon times and was initially known as "Oxenaforda", meaning "ford of the oxen" (according to the English Place-Name Society,[12] who base their result on a passing reference in Florence of Worcester's work Chronicon ex chronicis); fords were more common than bridges at that time.[13] It began with the establishment of a river crossing for oxen around AD 900.

Online Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Oxford MIWelding is very much a hands-on type of profession, and therefore not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Oxford MI area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to start their training and education. However, 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 have 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 knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and verify that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Best Welding Technical Program Oxford MI

Picking the right welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to examine and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training program that you are reviewing 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 on. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in Oxford MI.

 

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