Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Windsor CO

How to Choose a Welding Certification Course near Windsor Colorado

Windsor CO welding school studentFinding the ideal welding trade school near Windsor CO is an essential first step to beginning 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 significantly, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? Many prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important considerations when examining welder trade 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 wise to establish 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.

Welding Degree and Certificate Training Programs

Windsor CO welder working on pipingThere are multiple options to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short explanations of the most typical welding programs available in the Windsor CO.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by trade and technical schools and take about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned primarily to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you pick should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to take in addition to providing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Options

Windsor CO welder working on poleThere are multiple organizations that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Windsor CO employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier mentioned, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder trade school you select prepares you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welding Technical Program

Windsor CO welder working on carOnce you have chosen the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Windsor CO area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed a couple of important ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you decide on is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you might want to evaluate before choosing a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national 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 a specific program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So verify that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available in Windsor CO for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding certificate or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Find out if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement 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 rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Windsor CO welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an educational program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate might mean that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, 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 verify that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Windsor CO employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have decreased your choice of welder schools to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using in the field. 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. If not, ask a local Windsor CO welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding school you choose needs to be within driving distance of your Windsor CO home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, apart from moving expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, 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 subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not get much individualized training. Ask what the average class size is for the welder schools you are looking at. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, chat with some of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Windsor CO, verify that the schools you are reviewing provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm 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 due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Windsor CO?

Perhaps you live in the Windsor Colorado 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.

Windsor, Colorado

The Town of Windsor is a Home Rule Municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado.[8] According to June 2016 estimates, the population of the town was 24,500.[9] Windsor is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Windsor is situated 59 miles (95 km) north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

In 1873, a settler named J.L. Hilton built a small house situated half-way between Greeley and Fort Collins. The “half-way” house, as it became known, directed travelers along a route, which was soon adopted by the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific railway. The railroad brought investors and farmers to Windsor in increasing numbers. Windsor’s rich alluvial plains lent themselves to extensive wheat production and the establishment of one of the town’s first commercial enterprises, a flour mill, which through a subsequent fire in 1899, was rebuilt and became the Windsor Milling and Elevator Company.

A rich wheat farming district, the area around Windsor first drew permanent residents in the early 1870s. Two factors were to play a critical role in stimulating Windsor's early development: irrigation and the railroad. Irrigation increased crop variety and production and the railroad shipped this bounty to market. The town was platted in 1882, the same year the Windsor Railroad Depot was built, and incorporated in 1890. It was named for the Rev. Samuel Asa Windsor.[10] By 1900, tariffs on foreign sugar had created a market for new sources of sugar. Research in the improved cultivation of sugar beets was taking place at Colorado Agricultural College in Fort Collins, and the capital to advance production and manufacture of beet sugar was coming together. In 1903 a factory for producing sugar from sugar beets was built in Windsor. Sugar beet cultivation required large numbers of "stoop laborers," a need that was met by ethnic German immigrants from Russia. With large families and a strong work ethic, the German-Russians who settled in Windsor and other sugar beet areas would achieve financial success within one generation and own the highest producing beet farms. The Great Western Sugar Company fueled Windsor's economy through the mid-1960s, when the Windsor factory closed. Plentiful water and land drew Kodak to Windsor where it opened a manufacturing plant on the heels of the sugar factory's closing.

Online Welding Schools

pipe welder at work in Windsor COWelding is truly a manual kind of profession, and consequently not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Windsor CO area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills have to 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 earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Choose the Best Welding Trade Program Windsor CO

Selecting the best welder school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification as well. Probably the best approach to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you pick is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Windsor CO.

 

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