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

How to Select a Welder Certification Course near Lebec California

Lebec CA welding school studentEnrolling in the ideal welder trade school near Lebec CA is an important first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the right one? A number of prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations when examining welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to establish a list of qualifications that your selected 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 Classes

Lebec CA welder working on pipingThere are a number of options available 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 available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the Lebec CA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for experienced welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish 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 furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you select should prep you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to providing the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Choices

Lebec CA welder working on poleThere are a number of institutions that offer welding certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Lebec CA 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 available based on the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As previously mentioned, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally 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 decide on readies you for certification as needed.

How to Decide on a Welder Vocational School

Lebec CA welder working on carWhen you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, 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 Lebec CA area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed a couple of important ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might want to consider before selecting a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding trade school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, 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). Besides helping make sure that you get a superior education, the accreditation may also help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Lebec 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 Placement Programs. A large number of welder diploma or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have relationships 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 rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Lebec CA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion 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 reduced rate could mean 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 an indication of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Lebec CA contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have decreased your selection of welding programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities 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 uncertain what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Lebec CA welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to address. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Lebec CA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, often 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 ultimately will want to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, chat with a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Lebec CA, verify that the schools you are assessing offer those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, verify that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Lebec CA?

Perhaps you live in the Lebec 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.

Lebec, California

Lebec is named in honor of Peter Lebeck or Lebecque, a French trapper killed by a grizzly bear in 1837 in the area that later became Fort Tejon. He was memorialized in an epitaph at the site, found carved in a bare spot on an old oak tree.[3] The epitaph read PETER LEBECK / KILLED BY A X BEAR / OCTR 17 / 1837. The bark of the oak tree eventually grew over the carving. A group from Bakersfield, called the Foxtail Rangers, removed the bark in the late 19th century and found the inscription in reverse on its underside. The piece is now displayed in the museum at Fort Tejon State Historic Park.[4]

Lieutenant R.S. Williamson camped at the same oak grove in 1853 while on a mid-1850s mapping mission for a practicable railway route from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. Geologist William P. Blake accompanied Williamson's party. The area was garrisoned by the United States Army a year later, on August 10, 1854, as Fort Tejon, the first military fort in the California interior. The fort suffered extensive damage during the 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake.[5]

The Lebec Hotel was a large Spanish Colonial Revival-style hotel located on the Ridge Route in the community. It was built in 1921, and was popular with Hollywood executives and movie stars before World War II. It closed in 1968, and was demolished in 1971.[6]

Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Lebec CAWelding is truly a manual kind of trade, and therefore not very suitable for online training. However, there are some online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Lebec CA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to start their education and training. However, 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 have to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that want to advance their knowledge or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and confirm that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Right Welding Trade Program Lebec CA

Picking the right welding school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any welding training that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program provides different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal 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. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Lebec CA.

 

The location could not be found.

 

Business Results 1 - 10 of 10

California Air Systems
6 Reviews
Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC, Metal Fabricators, Home Automation
Phone:
501 E 19th St, Bakersfield, CA 93305

Leal Jesse Welding Service
1 Reviews
Metal Fabricators
Phone:
6001 E Brundage Ln, Bakersfield, CA 93307

Dylan's Ranch Fencing
9 Reviews
Fences & Gates, Painters
Phone:
Tehachapi, CA 93561

Tip Top Garage Doors & Gate Repair
3 Reviews
Garage Door Services
Phone:
Bakersfield, CA 93309

Johnson's Mobile Welding And Fabrication
2 Reviews
Metal Fabricators, Fences & Gates
Phone:
Whittier, CA 90603

Jerry & Keith's Truck Repair & Parts
2 Reviews
Commercial Truck Repair, Trailer Repair
Phone:
2814 Landco Dr, Bakersfield, CA 93308

StandardGates
1 Reviews
Fences & Gates
Phone:
365 Hilltop Dr, Paso Robles, CA 93446

National Deck & Stair
26 Reviews
Decks & Railing, Waterproofing, Fences & Gates
Phone:
2770 E Slauson Ave, Huntington Park, CA 90255

Finest Fence Company
37 Reviews
Contractors, Fences & Gates, Decks & Railing
Phone:
4525 Industrial St, Ste 4m, Simi Valley, CA 93063