Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Woodbury NY

How to Select a Welding Trade School near Woodbury New York

Woodbury NY welding school studentLocating the ideal welder technical school near Woodbury NY is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? A number of people start by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when examining welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 wise to develop a list of qualifications that your selected 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 Programs

Woodbury NY welder working on pipingThere are a number of options available to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs available in the Woodbury NY.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by technical and trade schools and take about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually 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 states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you pick should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Options

Woodbury NY welder working on poleThere are a number of institutions that offer welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Woodbury NY employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based on the kind of work that the welder performs. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

  • Operate in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with certain metal thicknesses
  • Work with specific kinds of welds
  • Perform based on contract specifications

As previously stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding tech school you decide on preps you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welder Vocational School

Woodbury NY welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welding vocational and trade schools in the Woodbury NY area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed a couple of significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the program you decide on is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to consider before choosing a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding trade school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you choose 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 obtain a superior education, the accreditation might also help in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently unavailable in Woodbury NY for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding certificate or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Woodbury NY welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s essential that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate could indicate that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Woodbury NY contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed 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 already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Woodbury NY welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder program you choose must be within driving distance of your Woodbury NY home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder diploma 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 regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can witness how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk to a few of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Woodbury NY, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Woodbury NY?

Perhaps you live in the Woodbury New York 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.

Woodbury, New York

Online Welder Classes

pipe welder at work in Woodbury NYWelding is truly a manual type of profession, and therefore not very suitable for online training. However, there are a few online welding courses offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Woodbury NY area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to start their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly 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 would like to advance their expertise or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Ideal Welding Vocational Program Woodbury NY

Choosing the right welder training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides unique 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 monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Woodbury NY.

 

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