How to Pick a Welder Training Program near Lakeview Michigan

Choosing the right welding school near Lakeview MI is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the best one? A number of people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important considerations when reviewing welding vocational 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 vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to develop 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 Classes

There are a number of options available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most typical welding programs offered in the Lakeview MI.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed mainly to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized 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 providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you pick should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to providing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are multiple institutions that provide welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Lakeview MI employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some additionally require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make certain that the welding technical school you select preps you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welder Technical Program

When you have chosen the credential you would like to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are a large number of welder trade and vocational schools in the Lakeview MI area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously covered 2 significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the school you pick is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you may need to evaluate before choosing a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding technical school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two 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 instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you get a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently unavailable in Lakeview MI 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 Placement 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. Ask if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have associations 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 rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Lakeview MI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding program you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Lakeview MI contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your choice of welding programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are up-to-date. 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, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Lakeview MI welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welder program you choose must be within driving distance of your Lakeview MI home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you subsequently will want to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not receive much personalized training. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can observe just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Also, chat with a few of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Lakeview MI, confirm that the schools you are considering offer those choices. If you can only attend 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 because of work, sickness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Lakeview MI?

Perhaps you live in the Lakeview Michigan 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 manual type of vocation, and for that reason not very compatible with online training. Even so, there are some online welding programs offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Lakeview MI area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to initiate their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and make sure that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Ideal Welding Tech Program Lakeview MI

Picking the best welding school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welding school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every training program offers different possibilities for certification also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in Lakeview MI.