How to Select a Welding Certificate Program near South Berwick Maine

Selecting the ideal welding trade school near South Berwick ME is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select 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 people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have found those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial issues when evaluating welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Programs

There are a number of options 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 Technology or Welding Engineering, 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 summaries of the most common welding programs offered in the South Berwick ME.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned largely to teach welding skills. They can furnish 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 furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If required, the welder school you choose should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are multiple institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many South Berwick ME employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As formerly stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, some additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder tech school you select prepares you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welder Trade School

Once you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welder vocational and trade schools in the South Berwick ME area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered 2 significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the school you choose 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 may need to consider before picking a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder vocational school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 basic kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in South Berwick ME for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welding diploma or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance 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 larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the South Berwick ME welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welder school you choose has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate might mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of South Berwick ME contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have limited your selection of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local South Berwick ME welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to address. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welding school you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your South Berwick ME home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement 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 subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welding programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can experience just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Also, chat with a few of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near South Berwick ME, verify that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only enroll part-time, make certain that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near South Berwick ME?

Perhaps you live in the South Berwick Maine 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 Training

Welding is very much a hands-on kind of profession, and therefore not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are some online welding programs offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater South Berwick ME area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to initiate their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and verify that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Right Welding Tech School South Berwick ME

Selecting the right welding training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welder school that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. 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 certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you select is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in South Berwick ME.