How to Enroll In the Best Welding Vocational School near Exton Pennsylvania
Locating the right welding technical school near Exton PA is an important first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when examining welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting 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 examine our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.
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Welder Certificate and Degree Training
There are several options available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can earn a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Exton PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned mainly to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to check for your location of future employment. As required, the welder school you choose should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.
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Welder Certification Choices
There are multiple organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Exton PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the kind of work that the welder performs. Some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with certain metal thicknesses
- Work with specific kinds of welds
- Operate in compliance with contract specifications
As already stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding trade school you choose preps you for certification as needed.
Questions to Ask Welder Technical Schools
After you have decided on the credential you would like to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Exton PA area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed 2 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 must be considered. After all, the school you select is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to evaluate before choosing a welding tech school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder vocational school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, 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 make sure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in getting financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable in Exton PA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. A large number of welder degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have relationships with local unions and various 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 assist students in finding employment and develop associations within the Exton PA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and complete it. It’s essential that the welder program you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate could signify that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Exton PA contacts to help students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your choice of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be similar 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, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Exton PA welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.
School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welding program you select needs to be within driving distance of your Exton PA home. If you do opt to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you subsequently will wish to work.
Small Classes. Personalized instruction is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in larger classes and not get much individualized instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with some of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Exton PA, make sure that the schools you are considering offer those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the school you decide on 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 responsibilities.
Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on type of vocation, and consequently not very compatible with training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Exton PA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to begin their training and education. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Best Accelerated Trade Schools for Welders Near Me Exton PA
Picking the ideal welding training program will undoubtedly 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 Best Accelerated Trade Schools for Welders Near Me and wanted more information on the topic Compare Local Trade Schools for Welders Near Me. However, as we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any welder school that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in Exton PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Exton, Pennsylvania
Exton is a census-designated place (CDP) in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population was 4,842 at the 2010 census. The Exton Square Mall and Main Street at Exton are both located within Exton along with several other shopping centers, making Exton the major shopping district in Chester County.
Exton lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 (formerly the Lancaster Road, and later the Lincoln Highway) and Pennsylvania Route 100 (Pottstown Pike). Beginning in the late 18th century, the Lancaster Road became a major transportation route between Philadelphia and the west, while what is now Route 100 was a regional north-south route to Pottstown. A theory exists that Exton was named as the "X" on the map, denoting this intersection, though more likely the village was named after one of the several Extons in the United Kingdom.
In the late 1940s, Exton became home to the Newcomen Society of the United States. The campus of the learned society was built overlooking farmland on Newcomen Road, and featured offices, a printing shop, library and museum, guest houses, a chapel and a belltower with a carillon. The Newcomen Society (since dissolved) sold the property in the late 1990s, but its campus remains an Exton landmark serving as the headquarters of another business.
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