How to Find the Right Welder Trade School near Bloomfield Missouri

Enrolling in the ideal welder technical school near Bloomfield MO is an important first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you select the best one? Most people start by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have found those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important concerns when evaluating welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent 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.

Welding Degree and Certificate Training Courses

There are a number of options available to get training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are short explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Bloomfield MO.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned mainly to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welding school you choose should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to providing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

There are several organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Bloomfield MO employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Operate in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specified metal thicknesses
• Work with certain types of welds
• Perform in compliance with contract specifications

As formerly mentioned, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder tech school you select readies you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welding Trade School

When you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Bloomfield MO area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already covered a couple of significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the program you choose is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to consider before selecting a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding technical school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard 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 recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation can also help in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available in Bloomfield MO for schools that are not accredited. 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. Many welding degree or certificate programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should 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 associations within the Bloomfield MO welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder program you pick has a high completion rate. A reduced rate could indicate that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, 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 program has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Bloomfield MO contacts to help students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have limited your choice of welding programs to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained 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 uncertain what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Bloomfield MO welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should address. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welder school you choose needs to be within driving distance of your Bloomfield MO home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder 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 regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you subsequently will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in larger classes and not receive much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Bloomfield MO, confirm that the schools you are considering provide those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Bloomfield MO?

Perhaps you live in the Bloomfield Missouri 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 type of vocation, and therefore not extremely compatible with training online. However, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Bloomfield MO area that can count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that want to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover 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 environment.

Find the Right Welding Vocational School Bloomfield MO

Choosing the ideal welding training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training program that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction should provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program provides unique options for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Bloomfield MO.