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

How to Pick a Welder Degree Program near Hiawassee Georgia

Hiawassee GA welding school studentSelecting the right welding school near Hiawassee GA is an important first step to beginning your new occupation 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 importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? Many people start 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 least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important considerations when reviewing welder vocational 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 wise to create a list of qualifications that your selected 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 Programs

Hiawassee GA welder working on pipingThere are a number of options to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees 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 offered in the Hiawassee GA.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely to develop welding skills. They can furnish 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 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, therefore make sure to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to take in addition to supplying the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

Hiawassee GA welder working on poleThere are several organizations that offer welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Hiawassee GA employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number 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 local area and verify that the welding technical school you choose readies you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welding Tech School

Hiawassee GA welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Hiawassee GA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered a couple of important ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you select is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to evaluate before choosing a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding tech school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 basic types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, 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). In addition to helping ensure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation may also help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often not offered in Hiawassee GA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welder diploma or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The 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 rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Hiawassee GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and complete it. It’s essential that the welder school you select has a high completion rate. A low rate may signify that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Hiawassee GA contacts to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Hiawassee GA welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should cover. You should bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the welder school you pick must be within commuting distance of your Hiawassee GA home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, most likely 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 want to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in larger classes and not obtain much individualized instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can witness how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk with a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Hiawassee GA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Hiawassee GA?

Perhaps you live in the Hiawassee 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.

Hiawassee, Georgia

Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States.[4] The community's population was 880 at the 2010 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word Ayuhwasi, which means meadow,[5] (A variant spelling, "Hiwassee," is used for the local river and some other Appalachian place names.)

Settled circa 1820, Hiawassee was designated seat of the newly formed Towns County in 1856. It was incorporated as a town in 1870 and as a city in 1916. [6] Hiawassee was originally inhabited by predominately Cherokee-speaking peoples, but the myth that the town was named after a Cherokee or otherwise Native American princess is false and is as mythical as the Cherokee princess herself. Hiawassee’s name is nature-based, as mentioned above.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 880 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 95.2% White, 0.3% Black, 0.1% Native American, 1.3% Asian and 0.3% from two or more races. 2.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Online Welder Schools

pipe welder at work in Hiawassee GAWelding is truly a hands-on type of profession, and consequently not very compatible with online training. However, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Hiawassee GA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their knowledge or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and make certain that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Pick the Best Welding Trade Program Hiawassee GA

Choosing the ideal welder training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welding training program that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in duration 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 possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Hiawassee GA.

 

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