How to Select a Welding Certification Class near Ellijay Georgia

Choosing the ideal welder school near Ellijay GA is an essential 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 know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you select the right one? Most people begin by looking at the schools that are closest to their homes. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial concerns when examining welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors 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 Courses

There are multiple 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 offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs available in the Ellijay GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, created mainly to teach 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 offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welder school you select should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to providing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are a number of organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Ellijay GA employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available based upon the kind of work that the welder does. 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 certain kinds of welds
• Work according to contract specifications

As previously stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welder tech school you select prepares you for certification if needed.

How to Choose a Welding Tech Program

After you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Ellijay GA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed a couple of important ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, 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 provide the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you might need to evaluate before selecting a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder trade school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional 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 offers, such as Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation can also help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available in Ellijay GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding certificate or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations 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 utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the Ellijay GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s essential that the welding school you select has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate could signify that the students who were 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 quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Ellijay GA employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your choice of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with in the field. If you are unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Ellijay GA welding contractor if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should address. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welder school you select must be within driving distance of your Ellijay GA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, 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 should be in an area or state where you subsequently will desire to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can observe just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with some of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, talk to a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Ellijay GA, make certain that the schools you are reviewing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure 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 work, illness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Ellijay GA?

Perhaps you live in the 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 truly a manual kind of vocation, and therefore not very compatible with training online. However, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Ellijay GA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to initiate their training and education. However, the most significant 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 have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that would like to advance their knowledge or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very cautious and make sure that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Ideal Welding Tech School Ellijay GA

Choosing the best welder school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every program provides unique options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Take the time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in Ellijay GA.