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

How to Enroll In a Welder Training Class near Varney West Virginia

Varney WV welding school studentFinding the ideal welding technical school near Varney WV is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the right one? Most people start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial concerns when examining welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s wise 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.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training Programs

Varney WV welder working on pipingThere are several options to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Varney WV.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed mainly to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized 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 furnishes a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welder school you choose should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to take in addition to providing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

Varney WV welder working on poleThere are various institutions that provide welding certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Varney WV employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

  • Work in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with certain metal thicknesses
  • Work with specific types of welds
  • Perform in compliance with contract specifications

As already stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welding technical school you choose preps you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welding Trade School

Varney WV welder working on carWhen you have chosen the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Varney WV area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously covered 2 significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the school you decide on is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to evaluate before selecting a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may attain 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 acknowledged accrediting agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation may also assist in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available in Varney WV for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding diploma or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have associations 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 utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Varney WV welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an instructional program and complete it. It’s important that the welding school you pick has a high completion rate. A low rate might mean that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Varney WV contacts to assist students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have decreased your selection of welder schools to two or three options, you should consider 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 similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are uncertain 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 Varney WV welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to address. You should remember that unless you can move, the welding school you select needs to be within driving distance of your Varney WV home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding 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 regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with several of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, chat with a few of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Varney WV, make certain that the schools you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Varney WV?

Perhaps you live in the Varney 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.

Carleton Varney

Carleton Varney, President of Dorothy Draper & Co. Inc., is an American decorator, designer, lecturer and author. Born in 1937 as Carleton Bates Varney in Lynn, MA, he spent his childhood in Nahant, Massachusetts.[1] Varney and former wife, Suzanne, are parents of three boys: Nicholas Varney, designer of fine jewelry, Sebastian Varney, president of Carleton V Ltd., and Seamus, born with down syndrome and resident of Florida. Varney now resides in Palm Beach, FL.[2]

He earned his bachelor's degree in Spanish and Fine Arts from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1958 and a master's degree in Fine Arts Education in 1969 from New York University. In 1987 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Charleston, Charleston, WV [3] Also known as Mr. Color, his work is based on his use of bright, vivid, multicolors and patterns. His design philosophy "stresses the use of bright colors and the rejection of all that is impractical, uncomfortable and drab.”[4]

Varney began his career by teaching Spanish, French, and history at NY's New Rochelle Academy, joined Dorothy Draper & Co. in 1960 and bought the firm in 1964.[5] Dorothy Draper Co. Inc. has offices located in New York, Palm Beach, White Sulphur Springs, and London.[6] Varney's design work includes private homes of celebrities and world leaders, hotels around the world, castles in Ireland, yachts, ships, private and public buildings. His work includes two historic hotels, The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV and The Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, MI. Society Expeditions’ World Discoverer ships had public and private spaces decorated and refurbished by Varney.[7][8]

Online Welding Courses

pipe welder at work in Varney WVWelding is truly a manual kind of trade, and therefore not extremely compatible with online training. Even so, there are some online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Varney WV area that can count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most important 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 must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that would like to advance their knowledge or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Right Welding Technical Program Varney WV

Picking the best welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Every program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Varney WV.

 

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