How to Select the Right Welder Technical School near Westbrook Maine

Selecting the right welding vocational school near Westbrook ME is an essential first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? Most people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have identified those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary issues when reviewing welder trade 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 vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Programs

There are several options available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are short descriptions of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Westbrook ME.

• Diploma and Certificate 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 develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for working welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore make sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

There are a number of institutions that provide welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Westbrook ME employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the kind of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As formerly stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make certain that the welder technical school you decide on preps you for certification if needed.

What to Ask Welding Technical Programs

Once you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are a large number of welder trade and vocational schools in the Westbrook ME area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously covered two significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the program you select is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might need to evaluate before choosing a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding technical school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation may also help in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are often not available in Westbrook ME for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welder degree or certificate programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Find out 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 other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Westbrook ME welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s essential that the welding program you select has a high completion rate. A lower rate could mean that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Westbrook ME contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your choice of welder schools to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Westbrook ME welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder school you select must be within commuting distance of your Westbrook ME home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in an area 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 be lost in bigger classes and not receive much one-on-one training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can witness just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Also, speak with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Westbrook ME, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those alternatives. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family emergencies.

Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

Welding is truly a hands-on type of vocation, and consequently not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Westbrook ME area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done 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 desire to advance their knowledge or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and make sure that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Attending a Welding School in Westbrook ME?

If you have decided to enroll in a welder training program in the Westbrook Maine 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 Westbrook ME

Selecting the best welding training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Welding Evening Classes. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to assess and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welder school that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom education should provide a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each training program offers different options for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak 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 training program you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Westbrook ME.