How to Enroll In a Welder Training Class near West Columbia South Carolina

Selecting the right welder vocational school near West Columbia SC is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Many people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest 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 issues when examining welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to develop 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

There are several options available to receive training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the West Columbia SC.

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

Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of future employment. If required, the welding school you select should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are a number of institutions that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous West Columbia SC employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered based on the kind of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As already stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and verify that the welder trade school you decide on prepares you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welding Technical Program

After you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welder vocational and trade schools in the West Columbia SC area. That’s why it’s essential to establish up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously discussed 2 important ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to consider before choosing a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two standard 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 pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, 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 make sure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation can also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available in West Columbia SC for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist 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 place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop associations within the West Columbia SC welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an instructional program and complete it. It’s important that the welding program you select has a high completion rate. A lower rate might signify 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 verify that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of West Columbia SC employer relationships to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have narrowed down your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should think out going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using in the field. If you are unsure 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 West Columbia SC welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should remember that unless you are able to move, the welder program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your West Columbia SC home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, often 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 desire to work.

Small Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in larger classes and not obtain much individualized training. Find out what the typical class size is for the welding programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can see how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, speak with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near West Columbia SC, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near West Columbia SC?

Perhaps you live in the West Columbia South Carolina 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 kind of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater West Columbia SC area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to start their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be accomplished online. These skills need to 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 careful and verify that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Best Welding Technical Program West Columbia SC

Choosing the right welder school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor 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, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in West Columbia SC.