Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Ewa Beach HI

How to Pick a Welder Certification Course near Ewa Beach Hawaii

Ewa Beach HI welding school studentFinding the ideal welding trade school near Ewa Beach HI is an essential first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you pick the right one? Many people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary concerns when examining welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s wise to establish a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training

Ewa Beach HI welder working on pipingThere are several alternatives available to get training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most common welding programs available in the Ewa Beach HI.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by technical and trade schools and take about one 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 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 furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welder school you select should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Options

Ewa Beach HI welder working on poleThere are several institutions that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Ewa Beach HI employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder does. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

  • Work in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with certain metal thicknesses
  • Work with specific types of welds
  • Perform based on contract specifications

As previously stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate 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 make sure that the welding technical school you select readies you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welding Vocational Program

Ewa Beach HI welder working on carOnce you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Ewa Beach HI area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered a couple of important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you decide on is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before picking a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding trade school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard types 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, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm 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 agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation may also assist in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Ewa Beach HI for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welder degree or diploma programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools should have partnerships with local unions and other 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 placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Ewa Beach HI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an instructional program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welding program you pick has a high completion rate. A lower rate might signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. 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 program has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Ewa Beach HI contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have narrowed down your selection of welder schools to two or three options, you should think out going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with in the field. 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 Ewa Beach HI welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should address. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding school you select must be within commuting distance of your Ewa Beach HI home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides 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. Furthermore, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely 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. Personalized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can witness just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk to a few of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Ewa Beach HI, verify that the schools you are assessing provide those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, verify 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 responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Ewa Beach HI?

Perhaps you live in the Ewa Beach Hawaii 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.

ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii

ʻEwa Beach (/ɛvə/)[1] or simply ʻEwa is a census-designated place (CDP) located in ʻEwa District and the City & County of Honolulu along the leeward coast of Oʻahu in Hawaii. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 14,955. The U.S. postal code for ʻEwa Beach is 96706.

The word ʻewa means "crooked" or "ill-fitting" in Hawaiian.[2] The name comes from the myth that the gods Kāne and Kanaloa threw a stone to determine the boundaries, but it was lost and later found at Pili o Kahe.[3] Hawaiian settlement on the ʻEwa Plain dates back at least to the 12th Century C.E., at which time Kanaka maoli expanded the main channel of Puʻuloa (Pearl Harbor) before creating fishponds and terraced agricultural fields in the surrounding area. Scholars have recognized ʻEwa's ancient fishponds as exemplary evidence of Native Hawaiian ingenuity.[4]

Before Ewa Beach became a town it was first a huge plantation farm when Hawaiʻi was under the rule of Queen Liliʻuokalani. After the queen had lost her throne to the Americans, W.R Lowrie became the first plantation manager.[5][better source needed] Ewa Beach is significant for its association with Ewa Sugar Plantation. Throughout the twentieth century, it played a very influential role in Hawaii's culture, economy, and politics.[6]

Online Welder Schools

pipe welder at work in Ewa Beach HIWelding is truly a hands-on type of profession, and for that reason not very compatible with training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Ewa Beach HI area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to begin their education and training. However, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless 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 experienced welders that want to advance their knowledge or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and make sure that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Choose the Best Welding Vocational Program Ewa Beach HI

Selecting the right welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you pick is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Ewa Beach HI.

 

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