How to Select a Welder Certification Program near Pigeon Michigan

Selecting the right welding technical school near Pigeon MI is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick 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 prospective students begin by looking at 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 tuition cost are necessary issues when evaluating welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Courses

There are a number of alternatives available to receive training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most typical welding programs offered in the Pigeon MI.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed mainly to develop 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 offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you pick should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to providing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are multiple institutions that provide welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Pigeon MI employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As previously mentioned, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder technical school you decide on readies you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welding Trade School

As soon as you have chosen the credential you would like to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welder vocational and trade schools in the Pigeon MI area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed two important 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 should be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to evaluate before selecting a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you get a quality education, the accreditation may also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Pigeon MI for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welder degree or certificate programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist 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 larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Pigeon MI welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welding program you choose has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate might indicate that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Pigeon MI contacts to help students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have decreased your choice of welder programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Pigeon MI welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the welding school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Pigeon MI home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides 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 a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can see how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk with some of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Confirm 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 Pigeon MI, make sure that the schools you are reviewing offer those options. 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 protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Pigeon MI?

Perhaps you live in the Pigeon 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 Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

Welding is very much a manual kind of profession, and therefore not very suitable for online training. Even so, there are some online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Pigeon MI area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis 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 accomplished online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and make sure that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Best Welding Technical School Pigeon MI

Picking the ideal welding school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welder school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers different options for certification as well. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in Pigeon MI.