Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – West Paris ME

How to Pick a Welder Degree Program near West Paris Maine

West Paris ME welding school studentLocating the ideal welding school near West Paris ME is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the best one? Many people start by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. 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 vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations 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 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.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training Courses

West Paris ME welder working on pipingThere are several options available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can earn 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 along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most common welding programs available in the West Paris ME.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned primarily to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welder school you choose should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Choices

West Paris ME welder working on poleThere are several organizations that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many West Paris ME employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder does. Just some 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 various types of welds
  • Work according to contract specifications

As already mentioned, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number additionally 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 similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welder tech school you decide on preps you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welder Trade School

West Paris ME welder working on carWhen you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the West Paris ME area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already covered a couple of significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you decide on is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might need to consider before choosing a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding trade school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, 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 an excellent education, the accreditation may also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available in West Paris ME 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. Numerous welder diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask 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 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 assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the West Paris ME welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welding program you select has a higher completion rate. A low rate might signify that the students who were in 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 verify that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of West Paris ME employer relationships to assist students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. 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. Otherwise, ask a local West Paris ME welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we should address. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding school you pick must be within driving distance of your West Paris ME home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides 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. Also, if the school provides 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 an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in larger classes and not get much individualized training. Find out what the average class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can see how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with a few of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near West Paris ME, verify that the schools you are assessing provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near West Paris ME?

Perhaps you live in the West Paris 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.

West Paris, Maine

It began as part of Paris, granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1771 to Captain Joshua Fuller and his company of 64 soldiers as payment for their service to the colony. First settled in 1779, the land was considered superior for pasturage and hay crops, and orchards were large and productive.[4]Mills were built along the Little Androscoggin River. The Paris Manufacturing Company, which was started modestly by Henry Franklin Morton in 1861 at West Sumner, grew into an important manufacturer. Near the Grand Trunk Railway depot in West Paris, it built a factory to make products including sleds, skis, wagons, step ladders, wheelbarrows, ironing boards, children's rolltop desks and other furniture.[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.40 square miles (63.20 km2), of which, 24.24 square miles (62.78 km2) of it is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) is water.[1] West Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River.

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, West Paris has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[7]

Online Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in West Paris MEWelding is very much a hands-on type of trade, and for that reason not very suitable for online training. Even so, there are some online welding courses offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater West Paris ME area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important 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 done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that want to advance their expertise or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Choose the Right Welding Tech School West Paris ME

Choosing the right welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welding school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world context, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in West Paris ME.

 

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