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

How to Pick a Welder Training Program near Thomaston Georgia

Thomaston GA welding school studentSelecting the ideal welder school near Thomaston GA is an important first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by looking at the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial issues when reviewing welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop 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 Degree and Certificate Training

Thomaston GA welder working on pipingThere are several options to receive 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 Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most typical welding programs available in the Thomaston GA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by trade and technical schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional 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 provides a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so don’t forget to find out for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welder school you pick should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

Thomaston GA welder working on poleThere are various institutions that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Thomaston GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier stated, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, many additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make certain that the welder vocational school you select preps you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welder Trade Program

Thomaston GA welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding trade and vocational schools in the Thomaston GA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed two significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to consider before selecting a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder tech school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 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 example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation can also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Thomaston GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Many welder 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. Find out if the schools you are considering help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These 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 Thomaston GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder school you pick has a high completion rate. A lower rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Thomaston GA contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your choice of welding programs to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using 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 Thomaston GA welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should cover. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Thomaston GA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, 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 want to work.

Small Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not receive much individualized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can attend a few 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. Similarly, speak with a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Thomaston GA, confirm that the schools you are assessing provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Thomaston GA?

Perhaps you live in the Thomaston 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.

Thomaston, Georgia

Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County,[5]Georgia, United States.[6] The population was 9,638 at the 2006 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta - Sandy Springs (GA) - Gainesville (GA) - Alabama (partial) Combined Statistical Area.

Thomaston was incorporated on January 1, 1825,[7] and designated as the seat of Upson County. The town was named for General Jett Thomas, an Indian fighter in the War of 1812.[6] Jett is also credited with assisting in the construction of the state capitol at Milledgeville in 1805-7 and Franklin College on the campus of the University of Georgia in 1806.

The judges of the inferior court had the authority to sell lots to individuals on a one-third cash basis with two years to complete the payment. This money was used to build the first courthouse, which was completed in 1828. The second courthouse was completed in 1852, and the present courthouse was erected in 1908. In the southeast corner of the square is a cannonball mounted on a marble base, said to be the first fired at Fort Sumter, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. P. W. Alexander, a noted correspondent during the Civil War (1861–65) and a citizen of Upson County, retrieved it.

Online Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

pipe welder at work in Thomaston GAWelding is very much a hands-on kind of trade, and therefore not very compatible with online training. Having said that, there are some online welding courses offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Thomaston GA area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily cover such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to initiate their training and education. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed 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 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 extremely cautious and make certain that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Choose the Best Welding Trade School Thomaston GA

Picking the ideal welding training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Thomaston GA.

 

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