How to Choose the Right Welding Certificate Program near Whitehall Michigan

Locating the right welding vocational school near Whitehall MI is an important first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the best one? Many people begin by reviewing the schools that are closest 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 necessary issues when reviewing welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 sensible to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Programs

There are a number of alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief descriptions of the most typical welding programs available in the Whitehall MI.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and take about a year to finish. 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 experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welder school you select should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Choices

There are a number of organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Whitehall MI employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered based upon the kind of work that the welder does. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

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

Questions to Ask Welder Technical Programs

When you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Whitehall MI area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered 2 significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the program you select is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you might need to consider before picking a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard 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, for example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized 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 may also help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Whitehall MI for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Whitehall MI welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding school you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate may indicate that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, 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 confirm that the program has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Whitehall MI contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. If you are uncertain 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 Whitehall MI welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welder program you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Whitehall MI home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder certificate 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 a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in larger classes and not receive much personalized training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can see just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with several of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Whitehall MI, make certain that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family responsibilities.

Online Welding Classes

Welding is very much a hands-on type of trade, and therefore not extremely compatible with online training. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Whitehall MI area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to initiate their education and training. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that would like to advance their knowledge or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and make certain that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Attending a Welding School in Whitehall MI?

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

Pick the Best Welding Vocational School Whitehall MI

Picking the right welder training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Welding Courses. However, as we have covered in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are considering includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every training program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Whitehall MI.