How to Select a Welding Technical School near Pinconning Michigan

Selecting the right welding technical school near Pinconning MI is an important first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the best one? A number of people start by looking at the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when reviewing welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training Programs

There are a number of options available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate 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 combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most typical welding programs available in the Pinconning MI.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by technical and trade schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed mainly to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of future employment. If required, the welder school you pick should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are a number of institutions that provide welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Pinconning MI employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered based upon the kind of work that the welder does. Some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As earlier stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and verify that the welding tech school you select preps you for certification if needed.

How to Choose a Welder Technical School

As soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Pinconning MI area. That’s why it’s important to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed two important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you decide on is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may want to evaluate before picking a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder technical school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are 2 standard 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, such as Welding Technology. So verify 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 agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation may also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Pinconning MI for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Numerous welder degree or diploma programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established 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 Pinconning MI welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an instructional program and complete it. It’s essential that the welder school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate could signify that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Pinconning MI employer relationships to assist students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have limited your choice of welder schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to look over 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 working with in the field. 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. If not, ask a local Pinconning MI welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly covered the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to deal with. You should remember that unless you have the ability to move, the welder school you choose must be within driving distance of your Pinconning MI home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, most 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 subsequently will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not receive much individualized training. Ask what the average class size is for the welding schools 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 a few 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 certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Pinconning MI, make sure that the schools you are assessing provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, make certain that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Pinconning MI?

Perhaps you live in the Pinconning 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 Courses

Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and consequently not extremely compatible with online training. Even so, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Pinconning MI area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily cover such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to start their education and training. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed 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 expertise or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Ideal Welding Technical School Pinconning MI

Picking the ideal welder school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welding school that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you decide on is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Pinconning MI.