Choosing the ideal welder technical school near Tobyhanna PA is an important first step to launching 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 notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the best one? A number of people start by looking at the schools that are closest to their homes. 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 evaluating welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 establish 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.

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Welder Certificate and Degree Training Programs

There are multiple alternatives available to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Below are short explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Tobyhanna PA area.

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

Some municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a professional welder.

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Welder Certification Options

There are a number of institutions that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Tobyhanna PA employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the kind of work that the welder performs. Some 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 types of welds
• Work in compliance with contract specifications

As formerly mentioned, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some additionally require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder technical school you select prepares you for certification as needed.

Topics to Ask Welder Technical Programs

After you have chosen the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are many welder vocational and trade schools in the Tobyhanna PA area. That’s why it’s essential to establish in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered a couple of important ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you decide on is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before picking a welding trade school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 basic kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Tobyhanna PA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welding degree or certificate programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established 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 relationships within the Tobyhanna PA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s important that the welder program you pick has a high completion rate. A lower rate may signify that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A high 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 Tobyhanna PA employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Tobyhanna PA welding professional if they can give you a few tips.

School Location. Although we previously briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you choose must be within driving distance of your Tobyhanna PA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than 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 subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in bigger classes and not obtain much individualized training. Find out what the average class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can witness just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk to a few of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Tobyhanna PA, confirm that the schools you are considering provide those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Online Welding Classes

Welding is truly a manual type of trade, and consequently not very suitable for online training. Even so, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Tobyhanna PA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical 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 better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and verify that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Online Welding Courses Tobyhanna PA

Selecting the ideal welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Online Welding Courses and wanted more information on the topic Pipe Welding Courses. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder training program that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably the best way to research your short list of schools is to visit 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 training program you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Tobyhanna PA.

Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations

Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania

In the late 1800s, the Tobyhanna and Lehigh Lumber Company operated a lumber mill, clothes pin factory and silk mill in what was then called the Village of Tobyhanna Mills. In September 1900, N S Brittain, a prominent resident of Coolbaugh Township and cashier of the East Stroudsburg Bank, purchased virtually the entire village, consisting of over 30 dwellings and 120 acres of the land but none of the former mill equipment. The lumber company sold the land, depleted of its lumber, for USD $10,000. The Monroe Water Supply Company had purchased most of the lumber company's property, over 32,000 acres, in March 1899. The site was transitioning from forest products to the harvesting of ice. [2]

From about 1900 to 1936, Tobyhanna lakes were the site of active ice industries. The ice was cut from the lakes during the winter and stored in large barn-like structures. During the rest of the year, the ice was added to railroad boxcars hauling fresh produce and meats destined for East Coast cities.

In 1912, Tobyhanna had a railway station, telegraph, and post office. The federal government acquired land within Tobyhanna that became the Tobyhanna Military Reservation, later Tobyhanna Army Depot, which was used as an Artillery training ground.[1][3] Edward B. Reed, in The Field Artillery Journal (January–March 1917), described Tobyhanna based on his experiences with the Yale Batteries during their training:

 

 

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