How to Find the Right Welder Training Program near Whittemore Michigan
Choosing the right welding technical school near Whittemore MI is an important first step to launching 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 fine tuned your options, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when reviewing welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning 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 examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.
Welding Certificate and Degree Training Courses
There are several options available to receive training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the Whittemore MI.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and take about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed primarily to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental 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 furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you choose should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.
Welder Certification Options
There are several organizations that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Whittemore MI employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available dependent on the kind of work that the welder does. A few of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specific metal thicknesses
- Work with various kinds of welds
- Work according to contract specifications
As already stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, some additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding tech school you decide on prepares you for certification as needed.
What to Ask Welding Technical Programs
After you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welding trade and vocational schools in the Whittemore MI area. That’s why it’s necessary to establish in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed a couple of important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. 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 some additional factors you may need to evaluate before choosing a welder vocational school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two 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 example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation can also help in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Whittemore MI for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Numerous welding degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing 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 partnerships with local unions and various 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 associations within the Whittemore MI 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 essential that the welding school you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate might 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 caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Whittemore MI contacts to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your choice of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Whittemore MI welding contractor if they can give you some tips.
School Location. Although we previously briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welding program you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Whittemore MI home. If you do opt to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.
Small Classes. One-on-one training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not obtain much personalized training. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Inquire if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can observe just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, speak with some of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Whittemore MI, verify that the schools you are considering offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.
Online Welder Courses
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of profession, and consequently not very compatible with training online. Even so, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Whittemore MI area that can count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to start their education and training. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished 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 want to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Attending a Welding School in Whittemore MI?
If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Whittemore Michigan area, you may find the following information both informative and helpful about the location of your new school campus.
Whittemore, Michigan
As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 384 people, 183 households, and 96 families residing in the city. The population density was 387.9 inhabitants per square mile (149.8/km2). There were 226 housing units at an average density of 228.3 per square mile (88.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.8% White, 1.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.
There were 183 households of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.79.
The median age in the city was 47 years. 19% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 to 44; 33.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.3% male and 54.7% female.
Pick the Ideal Welding Vocational School Whittemore MI
Picking the best welder school will probably 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 Welding Trade Schools. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are considering 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 teaching needs to offer a real-world context, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to go to 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 program you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Whittemore MI.
Business Results 1 - 10 of 1
1 Reviews 