How to Pick a Welding Trade School near Blairsville Georgia

Choosing the right welder vocational school near Blairsville GA is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you select the best one? Most people begin by looking at the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important concerns when reviewing welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Degree and Certificate Training

There are a number of alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available 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 explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Blairsville GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned mainly to teach 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 complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of future employment. If needed, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Options

There are a number of organizations that provide welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Blairsville GA employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As formerly mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and verify that the welding technical school you select preps you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welding Technical Program

When you have decided on the credential you would like to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welder vocational and trade schools in the Blairsville GA area. That’s why it’s essential to establish up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed 2 important ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you decide on is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to evaluate before picking a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding vocational school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two 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, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation can also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Blairsville GA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welding degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have partnerships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the Blairsville GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s important that the welder program you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate could indicate that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the training, the instructors, 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Blairsville GA contacts to help students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welding schools to two or three options, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are not sure 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 Blairsville GA welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you can move, the welding school you pick must be within driving distance of your Blairsville GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Small Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can witness just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, talk with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Blairsville GA, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Blairsville GA?

Perhaps you live in the Blairsville 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.

Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs

Welding is truly a hands-on kind of profession, and consequently not extremely suitable for online training. However, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Blairsville GA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed 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 possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Best Welding Tech School Blairsville GA

Picking the best welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training program that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every training program offers different options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in Blairsville GA.