How to Select a Welding Trade School near East Ellijay Georgia

Locating the ideal welder vocational school near East Ellijay GA is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the right one? Most prospective students start by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important issues 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 beginning your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop 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 Courses

There are multiple alternatives available to get 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 offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are short explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the East Ellijay GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by technical and trade schools and require about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed mainly to develop 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 complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you pick should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are a number of organizations that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous East Ellijay GA employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered based upon the kind of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As previously mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welding vocational school you choose preps you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welder Technical Program

Once you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding trade and vocational schools in the East Ellijay GA area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already covered a couple of important ones that most people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you choose is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might need to consider before selecting a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder technical school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are 2 basic types 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, for example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation may also help in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in East Ellijay GA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Numerous welder certificate or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at help 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 refer their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the East Ellijay GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an academic program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding school you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate might mean that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the training, 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 program has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of East Ellijay GA employer relationships to help students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your selection of welder schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained 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, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local East Ellijay GA welding professional if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should remember that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welder program you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your East Ellijay GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides 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 a region or state where you ultimately will want to work.

Small Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can witness how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, speak with a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near East Ellijay GA, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only enroll part-time, make sure that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near East Ellijay GA?

Perhaps you live in the East Ellijay 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 Welding Training Programs

Welding is very much a hands-on kind of profession, and therefore not very suitable for online training. Having said that, there are some online welding classes offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater East Ellijay GA area that can count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their expertise or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and verify that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Right Welding Tech School East Ellijay GA

Picking the ideal welding training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welder school that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers different options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in East Ellijay GA.