How to Select a Welding Training Program near Saugatuck Michigan

Selecting the right welding vocational school near Saugatuck MI is an important first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? Most prospective students start by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important concerns when reviewing welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Degree and Certificate Training Classes

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

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, created mainly to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes 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 requirements for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you choose should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are various organizations that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Saugatuck MI employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder performs. A few of the things 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 kinds of welds
• Operate according to contract specifications

As already mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means 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 make sure that the welding technical school you decide on preps you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welding Tech Program

As soon as you have chosen the credential you would like to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are a large number of welder trade and vocational schools in the Saugatuck MI area. That’s why it’s important to establish in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered 2 significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you might want to consider before picking a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding tech school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation may also assist in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable in Saugatuck MI for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding degree or diploma programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Saugatuck MI welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an educational program and finish it. It’s important that the welder school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate could signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, 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 affirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Saugatuck MI employer relationships to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have narrowed down your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure 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 using in the field. 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 Saugatuck MI welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welding program you select must be within commuting distance of your Saugatuck MI home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder 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 should be in an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized training. Find out what the average class size is for the welder programs you are looking at. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can see just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk with a couple of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Saugatuck MI, verify that the schools you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Saugatuck MI?

Perhaps you live in the Saugatuck 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 Degree and Certificate Programs

Welding is very much a hands-on kind of vocation, and consequently not extremely suitable for online training. However, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Saugatuck MI area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a basis to begin their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that want to advance their knowledge or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make certain that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Pick the Right Welding Tech Program Saugatuck MI

Picking the ideal welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to assess and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welder school that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification also. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Saugatuck MI.