How to Find the Right Welder Technical School near Franklin Springs Georgia

Enrolling in the ideal welding technical school near Franklin Springs GA is an important first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you select the right one? Most people begin 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 cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary concerns when evaluating welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s wise to establish 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 Degree and Certificate Training Programs

There are multiple options available to obtain 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 available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Franklin Springs GA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed largely to develop welding skills. They can furnish 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 furnishes a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of future employment. If needed, the welding school you select should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are a number of organizations that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Franklin Springs GA employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based on 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
• Operate based on contract specifications

As already mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welder technical school you select preps you for certification if needed.

Points to Ask Welding Trade Schools

As soon as you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welder trade and technical schools in the Franklin Springs GA area. That’s why it’s essential to decide up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed a couple of important ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may need to consider before selecting a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder technical school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two standard kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Franklin Springs GA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish relationships within the Franklin Springs GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s essential that the welder program you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate could signify that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the training, the instructors, 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 verify that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Franklin Springs GA contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your selection of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Franklin Springs GA welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder school you pick must be within driving distance of your Franklin Springs GA home. If you do decide 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 true for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship 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 wish to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in bigger classes and not receive much individualized training. Ask what the average class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can observe just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, chat with a couple of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Franklin Springs GA, make certain that the schools you are considering offer those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Online Welder Courses

Welding is very much a manual kind of trade, and therefore not very compatible with online training. Even so, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Franklin Springs GA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily cover such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally 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 possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in Franklin Springs GA?

If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Franklin Springs Georgia area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.

Select the Best Welding Tech Program Franklin Springs GA

Picking the ideal welding training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Underwater Welding Training. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welder training program that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification also. Perhaps The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Franklin Springs GA.