Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Youngstown PA

How to Pick a Welder Training Class near Youngstown Pennsylvania

Youngstown PA welding school studentChoosing the right welding vocational school near Youngstown PA is an essential first step to beginning 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 fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? Most people begin by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial concerns when reviewing welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create 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.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training Programs

Youngstown PA welder working on pipingThere are multiple alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief descriptions of the most typical welding programs offered in the Youngstown PA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. 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 two 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 municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welding school you choose should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the appropriate training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

Youngstown PA welder working on poleThere are several organizations that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Youngstown PA employers not only require 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 offered dependent on the type of work that the welder does. Some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As previously stated, many 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 prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding tech school you decide on preps you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welding Trade Program

Youngstown PA welder working on carAs soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welding trade and technical schools in the Youngstown PA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed two significant 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 considered. After all, the program you choose 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 need to evaluate before choosing a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. 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 confirm 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 organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation can also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Youngstown PA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welder degree or certificate programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Youngstown PA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate might indicate that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. 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 field, but additionally that it has the network of Youngstown PA employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have limited your selection of welding programs to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are unsure 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 Youngstown PA welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should address. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the welding school you choose needs to be within driving distance of your Youngstown PA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, often 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 subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in larger classes and not obtain much personalized instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can experience how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with some of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk with some of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Youngstown PA, make certain that the schools you are assessing provide those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Youngstown PA?

Perhaps you live in the Youngstown Pennsylvania 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.

Mahoning Valley

The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman metropolitan area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley or the Steel Valley, is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio in the United States, with the city of Youngstown, Ohio, at its center. According to the US Census Bureau, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio and Mercer county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 565,773.[citation needed]

This area also has a strong commuter interchange with Cleveland and Pittsburgh and their metropolitan areas. It is located at the geographic center of the Rust Belt of the United States which stretches from Minneapolis in the west to Johnstown and Altoona in the east.

Although steel has been produced in the Mahoning Valley since the mid-1800s, after the Civil War, the valley was primarily known for its iron production. Conversion to steel manufacturing began during the economic depression of the 1890s.[1] The Mahoning Valley is suitable for steel manufacture because of "its proximity to the Lake Erie ports that receive iron ore…the coal fields of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia; and to limestone deposits."[2] The "25-mile stretch of steel mills and related industries" along the Mahoning River is similar to the Ruhr Valley in Germany."[2] Historically, it was the largest steel producing region in the world (including all of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania).[citation needed]

Online Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

pipe welder at work in Youngstown PAWelding is truly a manual kind of vocation, and therefore not extremely compatible with training online. However, there are a few online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Youngstown PA area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be done 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 would like to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Find the Right Welding Trade Program Youngstown PA

Picking the ideal welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welder training that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend a few 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, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Youngstown PA.

 

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