Category Archives: West Virginia

Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Washington WV

How to Pick a Welder Trade School near Washington West Virginia

Washington WV welding school studentSelecting the right welding technical school near Washington WV is an essential first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the right one? A number of people start by looking at the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important considerations when reviewing welder vocational 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 trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent 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

Washington WV welder working on pipingThere are a number of options available to receive training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can earn a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most common welding programs offered in the Washington WV.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created primarily 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 complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you select should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to providing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Choices

Washington WV welder working on poleThere are a number of institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Washington WV employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As formerly mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welding vocational school you decide on readies you for certification if needed.

How to Decide on a Welder Trade School

Washington WV welder working on carAfter you have chosen the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and vocational schools in the Washington WV area. That’s why it’s essential to establish in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed two significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the school you decide on is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to evaluate before picking a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding technical school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 basic kinds 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 make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation might also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Washington WV for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding certificate or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and other 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 referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the Washington WV welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder school you choose has a higher completion rate. A lower rate could mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Washington WV employer relationships to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your selection of welder schools to two or three options, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained 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 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 Washington WV welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding program you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Washington WV home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately will want to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can experience how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Washington WV, make certain that the schools you are considering provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Washington WV?

Perhaps you live in the Washington West Virginia 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.

Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area

The Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area is a combined statistical area consisting of the overlapping labor market region of the cities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. The region includes Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, three counties in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one county in South Central Pennsylvania. It is the most educated, highest-income, and fourth largest combined statistical area in the United States.[1][2]

Officially, the area is designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the Washington–Baltimore–Arlington, DC–MD–VA–WV–PA Combined Statistical Area. It is composed primarily of two major metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV MSA and the Baltimore–Columbia–Towson, MD MSA. In addition, six other smaller urban areas not contiguous to the main urban area but having strong commuting ties with the main area are also included in the metropolitan area.[3] These are: the Hagerstown–Martinsburg, MD–WV MSA, the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA MSA, the Winchester, VA–WV MSA, the California–Lexington Park, MD MSA, the Easton, MD micropolitan statistical area (µSA), and the Cambridge, MD µSA.

Some counties such as Caroline and King George County, Virginia are not officially designated by the OMB as members of this metropolitan area, but still consider themselves members anyway.[4][5][6][7][8] This is mostly due to their proximity to the area, the size of their commuter population, and by the influence of local broadcasting stations. The population of the entire Washington-Baltimore Combined Statistical Area as of the Census Bureau's 2012 Population Estimates is 9,331,587.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The most populous city is Washington, DC, with a population of 681,170.[16] The most populous county is Fairfax County, Virginia, with a population exceeding 1.1 million.

Online Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

pipe welder at work in Washington WVWelding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and therefore not very suitable for online training. Even so, there are a few online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Washington WV area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis 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 done online. These skills have to 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 expertise or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be very cautious and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Best Welding Vocational School Washington WV

Choosing the best welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every program provides unique options for certification as well. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Washington WV.

 

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