Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Zanesville OH

How to Pick a Welder Trade School near Zanesville Ohio

Zanesville OH welding school studentSelecting the right welding technical school near Zanesville OH is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you select the right one? Most people start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial considerations when examining welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Courses

Zanesville OH welder working on pipingThere are a number of options 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 available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Zanesville OH.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely 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 offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of future employment. As required, the welder school you select should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to supplying the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

Zanesville OH welder working on poleThere are multiple organizations that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Zanesville OH employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As already stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, some additionally require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder tech school you choose readies you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welding Trade School

Zanesville OH welder working on carWhen you have chosen the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you probably know, there are a large number of welder trade and vocational schools in the Zanesville OH area. That’s why it’s necessary to establish in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered 2 important ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the school you decide on is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to evaluate before picking a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two 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, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation can also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Zanesville OH 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 also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welder degree or diploma programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place 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 assistance program. The schools must have partnerships 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 rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Zanesville OH welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welder program you pick has a high completion rate. A low rate may indicate that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Zanesville OH employer relationships to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your selection of welder programs to two or three options, you should think out going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Zanesville OH welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the welding school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Zanesville OH home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than 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 ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in bigger classes and not obtain much personalized training. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Inquire if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can witness how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, chat with a couple of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Zanesville OH, make certain that the schools you are looking at provide those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Zanesville OH?

Perhaps you live in the Zanesville Ohio 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.

Zanesville, Ohio

Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane (1747ā€“1811), who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road from Wheeling, Virginia (now in West Virginia) to Maysville, Kentucky through present-day Ohio. In 1797, he gave land as payment to his son-in-law, John McIntire (1759ā€“1815), at the point where Zane's Trace met the Muskingum River. With Zane's help, McIntire platted the town and opened an inn and ferry by 1799. In 1801, Zanesville was officially renamed from Westbourne (Zane's chosen town name).

From 1810ā€“1812, the city was the second state capital of Ohio.[7] The National Road runs through Zanesville as U.S. Route 40. The city grew quickly in the 1820sā€“1850s. Over 5,000 Union soldiers, along with hundreds of townsfolk, were stationed in the Zanesville area to protect the city in 1863 during Morgan's Raid. Novelist Zane Grey, a descendant of the Zane family, was born in the city.

The city grew, with factories making pottery, bricks, glassware, ball-bearings, soap, steel and many others from the 1880s until the mid-1950s. The city had a booming downtown and growth in the northern area of the town. By the 1950s many factories had closed or moved. Pottery, a major employer, slowly lost out to cheaper Asian companies. From the 1950s until the 1980s the city lost about 1/3 of its population. By the 1990s the city/county opened industrial parks and several housing developments were built in the northern parts of the city. In 2017 a greatly enlarged hospital opened and the other city hospital was closed and torn down.

Online Welding Schools

pipe welder at work in Zanesville OHWelding is very much a manual kind of trade, and therefore not very suitable for training online. However, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Zanesville OH area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously 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 better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Ideal Welding Technical Program Zanesville OH

Choosing the ideal welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are examining includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train with. 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 vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program offers different options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you pick is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Zanesville OH.

 

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