How to Select a Welding Trade School near Woodstock New York

Enrolling in the right welder trade school near Woodstock NY is an important first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important considerations when reviewing welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations 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 sensible to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training Programs

There are a number of alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational 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 programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most typical welding programs offered in the Woodstock NY.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and take about one year to finish. 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 working welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies 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 needed, the welder school you select should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are multiple organizations that provide welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Woodstock NY employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based on the kind of work that the welder performs. Just some 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 specific types of welds
• Work according to contract specifications

As earlier stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, many additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welding vocational school you decide on preps you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welding Vocational School

After you have chosen the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welding trade and vocational schools in the Woodstock NY area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already covered a couple of significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are more factors you might want to consider before selecting a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder vocational school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 basic types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So verify that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Woodstock NY 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.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welding certificate or degree programs are offered in conjunction 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 considering help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance 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 assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Woodstock NY welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welder school you select has a high completion rate. A low rate might signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Woodstock NY employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have limited your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. 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. If not, ask a local Woodstock NY welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to cover. You should bear in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you choose must be within driving distance of your Woodstock NY home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving 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. Additionally, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship 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 ultimately will wish to work.

Small Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Inquire if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can experience just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, chat with a few of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Woodstock NY, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Woodstock NY?

Perhaps you live in the Woodstock 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.

Online Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

Welding is truly a manual type of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for online training. Even so, there are a few online welding courses offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Woodstock NY area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally 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 better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be very cautious and verify that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Best Welding Tech Program Woodstock NY

Selecting the right welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you pick is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Woodstock NY.