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

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

Welch WV welding school studentLocating the right welding trade school near Welch WV is an important first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students start by checking out 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 necessary considerations when reviewing welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 sensible to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training Classes

Welch WV welder working on pipingThere are several options to receive 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 courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Welch WV.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by technical and trade schools and take about 1 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 additional skills for experienced welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of future employment. If needed, the welding school you pick should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Options

Welch WV welder working on poleThere are a number of organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Welch WV employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder performs. 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 certain kinds of welds
  • Work in compliance with contract specifications

As formerly mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder vocational school you select prepares you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welder Tech School

Welch WV welder working on carAfter you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding trade and vocational schools in the Welch WV area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed a couple of significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you might want to evaluate before selecting a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder technical school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 basic kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation might also help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Welch WV for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welding degree or diploma programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools should have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the Welch WV welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an educational program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder program you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate could indicate that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Welch WV employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. 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. If not, ask a local Welch WV welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to address. You should remember that unless you are able to relocate, the welding school you choose must be within driving distance of your Welch WV home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses 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 an apprenticeship or job placement program, most 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 subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much personalized training. Ask what the average class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can witness how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk to a couple of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Welch WV, make certain that the schools you are assessing offer those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Welch WV?

Perhaps you live in the Welch 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.

Welch, West Virginia

Welch was incorporated in 1893 and named after Isaiah A. Welch,[6] a former captain in the Confederate States Army who came to the region as a surveyor, and helped establish the plan for the beginning of a new town at the confluence of the Tug and Elkhorn rivers.

Welch was made the county seat of McDowell County in an election by county citizens in 1892[7] even before Welch was incorporated as a city. The previous county seat was in Perryville (now English) on present day West Virginia Route 83 along the Dry Fork. Results of the election were contested so to avoid violence county records were secretly moved from Perryville to Welch at night in two wagons by James A. Strother and Trigg Tabor.

On March 2, 1921, the Welch City Council met to discuss impeachment of then Mayor J. H. Whitt. Whitt showed up at the meeting and disrupted the proceedings. The Welch City Council then asked the McDowell Co. Sheriff's Dept. to investigate Whitt. Later that same day, Mayor Whitt shot and killed McDowell County Deputy Sheriff William Johnson Tabor who was investigating the matter. Mayor Whitt was arrested and charged with murder but won acquittal at his trial (allegedly based on perjured testimony). Whitt left the area for parts unknown on September 27, 1921.

Online Welder Training

pipe welder at work in Welch WVWelding is very much a hands-on type of vocation, and consequently not very compatible with online training. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Welch WV area that can count 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 begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed online. These skills need to 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 expertise or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Choose the Ideal Welding Vocational Program Welch WV

Choosing the best welder training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welding school that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in Welch WV.

 

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