How to Select a Welder Certificate Program near Stevens Point Wisconsin

Choosing the ideal welder trade school near Stevens Point WI is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? A number of people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary concerns when examining welder 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 trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to develop a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training

There are a number of alternatives available to receive training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are short descriptions of the most typical welding programs available in the Stevens Point WI.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by technical and trade schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely 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 finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welder school you select should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

There are various organizations that offer welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Stevens Point WI employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available dependent on the kind of work that the welder does. Some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Work in compliance with specific codes
• Work with certain metal thicknesses
• Work with certain kinds of welds
• Operate according to contract specifications

As already mentioned, various cities, states 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 way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make certain that the welding trade school you decide on prepares you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welder Tech Program

When you have chosen the credential you want to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to assess schools. As you probably know, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Stevens Point WI area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed a couple of significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the program you select is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you might need to consider before selecting a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard 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 offers, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, 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 might also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are often not offered in Stevens Point WI for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder 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 help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place 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 relationships within the Stevens Point WI welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an instructional program and finish it. It’s essential that the welding school you pick has a high completion rate. A low rate may indicate that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Stevens Point WI contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welding 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 taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. If you are unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Stevens Point WI welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the welding program you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Stevens Point WI home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, most likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately 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 larger classes and not receive much individualized instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can see just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with a few of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Stevens Point WI, verify that the schools you are assessing offer those alternatives. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Stevens Point WI?

Perhaps you live in the Stevens Point Wisconsin 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 Training

Welding is very much a manual type of trade, and therefore not very suitable for training online. However, there are some online welding classes offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Stevens Point WI area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to initiate their education and training. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and verify that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Find the Ideal Welding Tech Program Stevens Point WI

Choosing the ideal welder training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. 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 must that any welding school that you are evaluating includes a good deal 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 offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification as well. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to visit 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 program you pick is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Stevens Point WI.