How to Select the Right Welding Certificate Program near Thomaston Maine

Finding the right welding trade school near Thomaston ME is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the right one? Many prospective students begin by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial considerations when evaluating welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to establish 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 Degree and Certificate Training Programs

There are multiple alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate 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 along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short explanations of the most typical welding programs available in the Thomaston ME.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally made available by technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created primarily to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you select should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Choices

There are multiple institutions that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Thomaston ME employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Work in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specified metal thicknesses
• Work with specific types of welds
• Perform based on contract specifications

As earlier stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder technical school you decide on preps you for certification as needed.

Topics to Ask Welder Vocational Schools

When you have chosen the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Thomaston ME area. That’s why it’s essential to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed two important ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to evaluate before choosing a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are 2 basic types 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, such as Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you select is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a superior education, the accreditation can also assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Thomaston ME 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 as well.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder diploma or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools must have relationships 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 rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Thomaston ME welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an instructional program and finish it. It’s important that the welder program you choose has a high completion rate. A reduced rate could mean that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only verify that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Thomaston ME employer relationships to help students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your choice of welder schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Thomaston ME welding professional if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Thomaston ME home. If you do decide 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 the case for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in larger classes and not get much one-on-one training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welder schools you are looking at. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can witness how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their feedback. Also, chat with some of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Thomaston ME, verify that the schools you are reviewing offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family circumstances.

Online Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

Welding is truly a hands-on kind of vocation, and consequently not very compatible with online training. However, there are some online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Thomaston ME area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to initiate 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. 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 more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Attending a Welding School in Thomaston ME?

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

Select the Right Welding Tech School Thomaston ME

Choosing the best welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Intensive Welding Course. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Each training program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Thomaston ME.