How to Enroll In a Welder Degree Program near Douglasville Georgia

Choosing the ideal welder technical school near Douglasville GA 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 notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the right one? Many people start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when examining welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create 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.

Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

There are several alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate 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. Following are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Douglasville GA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and take about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned primarily to teach welding skills. They can furnish 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 furnishes a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welding school you select should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to providing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are various organizations that provide welding certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Douglasville GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder does. Just some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As already stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welding trade school you decide on prepares you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welding Technical Program

As soon as you have chosen the credential you would like to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding vocational and trade schools in the Douglasville GA area. That’s why it’s important to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed 2 significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the school you select is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before choosing a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding trade school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are 2 standard kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So make sure 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, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you get a quality education, the accreditation can also help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in Douglasville GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, 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. Many welding diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have relationships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Douglasville GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an educational program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate might signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Douglasville GA contacts to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Douglasville GA welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welding school you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Douglasville GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you subsequently will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Inquire if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can witness how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk to a couple of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working 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 attend classes at night or on weekends near Douglasville GA, make sure that the schools you are considering provide those options. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see 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 Douglasville GA?

Perhaps you live in the Douglasville 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 Degree and Certificate Programs

Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and for that reason not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Douglasville GA area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be done online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and make sure that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Right Welding Vocational School Douglasville GA

Selecting the ideal welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welding school that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Douglasville GA.