How to Pick the Right Welding Certificate Program near Harrodsburg Kentucky

Choosing the ideal welder technical school near Harrodsburg KY is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? Many prospective students start by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when reviewing welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors 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 talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training

There 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 programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most common welding programs offered in the Harrodsburg KY.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by technical and trade schools and take about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed primarily to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually 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 readies students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so 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 need to take in addition to providing the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Options

There are multiple institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Harrodsburg KY employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As previously mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number also require certification for various types 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, look into the requirements for your local area and verify that the welding trade school you choose preps you for certification if needed.

Subjects to Ask Welding Tech Schools

As soon as you have chosen the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Harrodsburg KY area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed two important ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you decide on is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before picking a welder vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two basic 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 confirm that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. 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 make sure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation may also assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable in Harrodsburg KY for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding certificate or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place 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 other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Harrodsburg KY welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an educational program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welding program you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate could indicate that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. 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 a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Harrodsburg KY contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your choice of welding programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure 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. If not, ask a local Harrodsburg KY welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welder school you pick must be within commuting distance of your Harrodsburg KY home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, often 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 training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much one-on-one training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can see how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, speak with a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Harrodsburg KY, verify that the schools you are looking at offer those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain 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 due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Online Welder Training

Welding is very much a hands-on type of trade, and for that reason not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Harrodsburg KY area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be done online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that would like to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover 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 setting.

Attending a Welding School in Harrodsburg KY?

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

Select the Ideal Welding Trade Program Harrodsburg KY

Picking the best welding training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Welding Classes Cost. However, as we have addressed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are examining includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student must have their personal 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. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides different options for certification also. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in Harrodsburg KY.