How to Select a Welder Training Class near Folkston Georgia

Enrolling in the right welder vocational school near Folkston GA is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the best one? Many people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary considerations when evaluating welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Programs

There are several options to receive 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 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 short summaries of the most typical welding programs available in the Folkston GA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely 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 finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to providing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are multiple organizations that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Folkston GA employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder does. A few 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
• Perform in compliance with contract specifications

As previously mentioned, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder trade school you decide on readies you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welding Technical Program

As soon as you have decided on the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to assess schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Folkston GA area. That’s why it’s important to determine up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously covered a couple of significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you select is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you might want to consider before picking a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard 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 offers, such as 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 acknowledged accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you get a superior education, the accreditation might also assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Folkston 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 Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding diploma or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have relationships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Folkston GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder program you choose has a high completion rate. A lower rate may indicate that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Folkston GA contacts to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welder programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with 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 Folkston GA welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welding program you choose must be within driving distance of your Folkston GA home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, often their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you ultimately will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in larger classes and not receive much personalized training. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can see just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk with a couple of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Folkston GA, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Folkston GA?

Perhaps you live in the Folkston 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 Schools

Welding is truly a hands-on type of trade, and consequently not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Folkston GA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that would like to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and make certain that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Best Welding Technical Program Folkston GA

Selecting the right welder school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welder school that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Folkston GA.