How to Pick a Welder Degree Program near South Jordan Utah
Selecting the ideal welding school near South Jordan UT is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you select the best one? Many people start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary issues when evaluating welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen 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 Degree and Certificate Training Courses
There are a number of alternatives available to receive training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn 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 in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the South Jordan UT.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed primarily to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are usually 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 prepares students to enter the workforce.
Some municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so don’t forget to find out for your location of future employment. As required, the welder school you select should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a qualified welder.
Welding Certification Choices
There are several institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many South Jordan UT employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. A few 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 various types of welds
- Work according to contract specifications
As earlier stated, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder trade school you select preps you for certification if needed.
How to Select a Welder Trade Program
When you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are many welding vocational and trade schools in the South Jordan UT area. That’s why it’s important to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed two important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the school you select is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might want to consider before selecting a welder vocational school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional 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, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation may also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in South Jordan UT for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welding degree or certificate programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at 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. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the South Jordan UT welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate could 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 a good indicator of the quality 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 South Jordan UT employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have limited your selection of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out going to the campuses to inspect 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 similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are uncertain 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 South Jordan UT welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.
School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to address. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your South Jordan UT home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, 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 needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately will want 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 obtain much personalized instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can experience just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk to a couple of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near South Jordan UT, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend part-time, make certain 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 due to work, illness or family circumstances.
Will You Be Attending Welding School Near South Jordan UT?
Perhaps you live in the South Jordan Utah 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.
South Jordan, Utah
South Jordan is a city in south central Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The city lies in the Salt Lake Valley between the 9,000-foot (2,700 m) peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains and the 12,000-foot (3,700 m) peaks of the Wasatch Mountains and is part of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The Jordan River flows through the middle of the valley and the city has a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) section of the Jordan River Parkway that contains fishing ponds, trails, parks and natural habitat. Salt Lake County fair grounds and equestrian park, 67-acre (27 ha) Oquirrh Lake and 27 other parks are located inside the city. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 50,418.
The city was founded 18 miles (29 km) south of Salt Lake City along the banks of the Jordan River in 1859 by Mormon settlers. An agrarian town for most of its history, today it is a rapidly growing bedroom community of Salt Lake City. Kennecott Land, a land development company, has recently begun construction on the master-planned Daybreak Community for the entire western half of South Jordan. Daybreak could potentially double South Jordan's population. South Jordan is the first city in the world with two temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Jordan River Utah Temple and Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple). The city has two TRAX light rail stops, as well as one commuter rail stop on the FrontRunner. South Jordan is also a growing tech hub with headquarters of companies like IT software company, Ivanti
The first known inhabitants were members of the Desert Archaic Culture who were nomadic hunter-gatherers. From 400 A.D. to around 1350 A.D., the Fremont people settled into villages and farmed corn and squash.[5] Changes in climatic conditions to a cooler, drier period and the movement into the area of ancestors of the Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone, led to the disappearance of the Fremont people.[6] When European settlers arrived, there were no permanent Native American settlements in the Salt Lake Valley, but the area bordered several tribes – the territory of the Northwestern Shoshone to the north,[7] the Timpanogots band of the Utes to the south in Utah Valley,[8] and the Goshutes to the west in Tooele Valley.[9]
Online Welder Degree and Certificate Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of vocation, and for that reason not very suitable for online training. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater South Jordan UT area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation 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 done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that would like to advance their knowledge or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and verify that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Find the Right Welding Trade School South Jordan UT
Choosing the best welder training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welding school that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in South Jordan UT.
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