Tag Archives: Welding Trade Schools Near Me Altadena CA 91001

Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Altadena CA

How to Find the Right Welding Certification Course near Altadena California

Altadena CA welding school studentLocating the right welding school near Altadena CA is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? A number of people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have found those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when reviewing welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Courses

Altadena CA welder working on pipingThere are a number of options to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Altadena CA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and take about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned mainly to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized 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 provides a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If required, the welding school you select should ready 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 Choices

Altadena CA welder working on poleThere are a number of institutions that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Altadena CA employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As previously stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder vocational school you decide on prepares you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welder Tech Program

Altadena CA welder working on carOnce you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Altadena CA area. That’s why it’s important to determine up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously discussed a couple of significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the program you select is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are more factors you may need to consider before choosing a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder vocational school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 basic kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So verify that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation might also help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Altadena CA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. A large number of 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 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 place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Altadena CA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welder school you select has a high completion rate. A low rate could signify that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. 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 an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Altadena CA employer relationships 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 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure 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 Altadena CA welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to address. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder school you select must be within commuting distance of your Altadena CA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, often their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, talk to a couple of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Altadena CA, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those options. If you can only enroll part-time, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Altadena CA?

Perhaps you live in the Altadena California 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.

Altadena, California

Altadena is an unincorporated[3] area[4] and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California. The population was 42,777 at the 2010 census, up from 42,610 at the 2000 census.

In the mid-1860s, Benjamin Eaton first developed water sources from the Arroyo Seco and Eaton Canyon to irrigate his vineyard near the edge of Eaton Canyon. This made possible the development of Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena. He did the construction for B. D. Wilson and Dr. John Griffin, who jointly owned the Mexican land grant of Rancho San Pascual, about 14,000 acres (57 km2), that was the future sites of these three communities. They hoped to develop and sell this land in a real estate plan called the San Pasqual Plantation. Their efforts failed by 1870, despite Eaton's irrigation ditch that drew water from the site of present-day Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Arroyo Seco. They had failed because the land was relatively inaccessible and few believed crops could thrive that close to the mountains.

Eaton tried to sell the land for the partners, and in late 1873 he helped broker a deal with Daniel Berry, who represented a group of investors from Indiana, to buy 4,000 acres (16 km2) of the rancho. This included the land of present-day Altadena, but they developed a 2,500 acres (10 km2) section further south as Pasadena. In 1881, the land that would later become Altadena was sold to John and Fred Woodbury, brothers who launched the subdivision of Altadena in 1887. The land remained primarily agricultural, though several eastern millionaires built mansions along Mariposa Street, and a small community developed through the 1890s and into the next century.

Online Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Altadena CAWelding is very much a manual kind of profession, and for that reason not very suitable for training online. However, there are some online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Altadena CA area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to start their education and training. 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 done online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that want to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make certain that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Right Welding Technical School Altadena CA

Picking the ideal welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on a few 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 dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Altadena CA.

 

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