How to Choose a Welding Trade School near Pembroke Georgia
Choosing the right welding school near Pembroke GA is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the best one? A number of people start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary concerns when evaluating welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating 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 Training Classes
There are several options to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short descriptions of the most typical welding programs offered in the Pembroke GA.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
A number of municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welder school you select should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.
Welder Certification Options
There are a number of organizations that provide welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Pembroke GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the type of work that the welder performs. A few of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specified metal thicknesses
- Work with certain types of welds
- Work based on contract specifications
As earlier stated, some 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 extremely skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder trade school you select prepares you for certification if needed.
How to Pick a Welding Trade Program
When you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Pembroke GA area. That’s why it’s necessary to establish up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the program you select is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to evaluate before choosing a welding tech school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you get a superior education, the accreditation may also help in getting financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable in Pembroke GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder certificate or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are considering help 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 larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Pembroke 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 program you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator 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 Pembroke GA contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welding schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using in the field. If you are uncertain 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 Pembroke GA welding contractor if they can give you some tips.
School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should cover. You should keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the welder school you pick must be within commuting distance of your Pembroke GA home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, most 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. Personalized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in larger classes and not obtain much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can see how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk to a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.
Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Pembroke GA, make sure that the schools you are assessing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, illness or family responsibilities.
Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Pembroke GA?
Perhaps you live in the Pembroke 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.
Pembroke, Georgia
Pembroke is a small city in Bryan County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,196 at the 2010 census.[4] The city is the county seat of Bryan County.[5] Pembroke is located approximately 35 miles west of Savannah, GA, and approximately 20 miles south of Statesboro, GA.
Pembroke is located in northern Bryan County at 32°08′24″N 81°37′25″W / 32.139892°N 81.623553°W / 32.139892; -81.623553.[7]U.S. Route 280 passes through the center of the city, leading east 10 miles (16 km) to Interstate 16 and 35 miles (56 km) to Savannah. Claxton is 16 miles (26 km) to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Pembroke has a total area of 7.7 square miles (19.9 km2), of which 7.6 square miles (19.6 km2) is land and 0.077 square miles (0.2 km2), or 1.17%, is water.[4]
Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Even so, there are some online welding programs offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Pembroke GA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and verify that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Pick the Ideal Welding Trade School Pembroke GA
Choosing the best welding school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Pembroke GA.
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