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

How to Select a Welding Technical School near Ontonagon Michigan

Ontonagon MI welding school studentSelecting the ideal welder school near Ontonagon MI is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are closest to their homes. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important issues when examining welder vocational 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 prudent to develop 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 Certificate and Degree Training Courses

Ontonagon MI welder working on pipingThere are a number of options available to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma 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 offered along with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief summaries of the most common welding programs offered in the Ontonagon MI.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. 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 2 years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore don’t forget to check for your location of future employment. As required, the welder school you choose should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Options

Ontonagon MI welder working on poleThere are various institutions that provide welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Ontonagon MI employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As formerly stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welding technical school you select readies you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welder Technical School

Ontonagon MI welder working on carOnce you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding vocational and trade schools in the Ontonagon MI area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already covered 2 significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you decide on is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to consider before picking a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So make certain 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 agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation can also help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Ontonagon MI for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welding degree or certificate programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools must have relationships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Ontonagon MI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder program you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate might indicate that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Ontonagon MI employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welder programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. 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. If not, ask a local Ontonagon MI welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should remember that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding program you pick must be within driving distance of your Ontonagon MI home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, 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 an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Small Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be lost in larger classes and not receive much personalized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can experience just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk with a few of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Ontonagon MI, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Ontonagon MI?

Perhaps you live in the Ontonagon 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.

Ontonagon, Michigan

The village is located within Ontonagon Township, at the mouth of the Ontonagon River on Lake Superior. Industry was centered on the Smurfit-Stone Container production facility at the river mouth until the plant closed in 2010.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.86 square miles (10.00 km2), of which, 3.71 square miles (9.61 km2) of it is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) is water.[1]

Ontonagon is the westernmost incorporated community in the United States in the legally designated Eastern Time Zone as determined by the United States Department of Transportation. In the summer the sun sets over Lake Superior at 10 p.m. local time with dusk lasting until almost 11 p.m. By contrast in the winter the sun does not rise until just before 9 a.m. and it is still pitch black at 8 a.m. Ontonagon is within one degree of longitude to the east of the 90th meridian west, which is actually the meridian for the Central Time Zone. Therefore, Ontonagon is geographically situated in the Central Time Zone, not the Eastern Time Zone. As a result of this idiosyncrasy, Ontonagon actually has its solar noon occur either at or near 1 p.m. during the winter when standard time (EST) is being observed and 2 p.m. when daylight saving time (EDT) is being observed. The same is true for solar midnight, which occurs at or near 1 a.m. while on standard time and 2 a.m. while on daylight saving time.

Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Ontonagon MIWelding is truly a hands-on kind of profession, and for that reason not very suitable for online training. Having said that, there are some online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Ontonagon MI area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be accomplished online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and verify that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Best Welding Trade School Ontonagon MI

Selecting the ideal welder training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many things that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welder training program that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides different options for certification also. Probably The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Ontonagon MI.

 

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