How to Enroll In a Welder Certification Program near Lakeland Georgia

Locating the right welding trade school near Lakeland GA is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have found those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial issues when examining welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Programs

There are multiple alternatives available to obtain 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 degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Lakeland GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by technical and trade schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned mainly to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually 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 readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the appropriate training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

There are a number of institutions that provide welder certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Lakeland GA employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Operate in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specified metal thicknesses
• Work with various types of welds
• Perform according to contract specifications

As earlier stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding trade school you decide on readies you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welder Trade Program

When you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welder vocational and trade schools in the Lakeland GA area. That’s why it’s important to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered 2 important ones that many people look at 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 looked at. After all, the program you choose is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may want to consider before selecting a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder technical school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two standard kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, for instance 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 recognized accrediting organization, such as 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 assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Lakeland GA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. A large number of welder degree or diploma 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 reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools should have partnerships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer 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 develop associations within the Lakeland GA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welder program you choose has a higher completion rate. A low rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, 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 industry, but additionally that it has the network of Lakeland GA employer relationships to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder schools to two or three possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. If you are uncertain 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 Lakeland GA welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder program you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Lakeland GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, often their placements are within the school’s local 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 manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in larger classes and not receive much personalized training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend a few classes so that you can experience how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, chat with a few of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Lakeland GA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Lakeland GA?

Perhaps you live in the Lakeland 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 Classes

Welding is very much a hands-on type of trade, and therefore not very suitable for training online. Even so, there are a few online welding programs offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Lakeland GA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle 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 better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Choose the Right Welding Tech Program Lakeland GA

Selecting the right 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 several things that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welder school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education should offer a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each program offers different options for certification also. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Lakeland GA.