How to Pick the Best Welder Technical School near Colmar Pennsylvania
Selecting the right welder trade school near Colmar PA is an important first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the right one? Many people begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important issues 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 initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create a list of qualifications that your selected 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 Programs
There are multiple alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain 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 combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most typical welding programs available in the Colmar PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by technical and trade schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned largely 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 complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore make sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As required, the welder school you choose should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to providing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.
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Welding Certification Choices
There are several organizations that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Colmar PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the type of work that the welder performs. A few of the things 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
- Operate based on contract specifications
As earlier mentioned, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make certain that the welding vocational school you decide on prepares you for certification if needed.
Questions to Ask Welding Tech Programs
After you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder trade and vocational schools in the Colmar PA area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered two significant ones that most people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you select is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are more factors you might need to consider before choosing a welder technical school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding tech school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard kinds 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, such as Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you select is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you receive a superior education, the accreditation can also assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Colmar PA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding diploma or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools should have partnerships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Colmar PA 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 crucial that the welding school you select has a high completion rate. A lower rate might signify that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only verify that the program has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Colmar PA employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have decreased your choice of welding programs to two or three options, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are up-to-date. In particular, 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 already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Colmar PA welding contractor if they can give you some tips.
School Location. Although we previously briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to address. You should keep in mind that unless you can move, the welder school you choose must be within commuting distance of your Colmar PA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.
Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not obtain much individualized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welding schools you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can witness just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, chat with a couple of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Colmar PA, make sure that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family circumstances.
Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on type of profession, and therefore not very suitable for online training. However, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Colmar PA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to begin their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed 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 desire to advance their knowledge or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and confirm that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Best Local Welding Training Near Me Colmar PA
Choosing the ideal welder school will probably be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Best Local Welding Training Near Me and wanted more information on the topic Best Night Welding Training Near Me. However, as we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to assess and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welder school that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Every program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Colmar PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Colmar station (SEPTA)
Colmar station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Colmar, Pennsylvania. Located at Bethlehem Pike (PA-309) and Walnut Street, it serves the Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In FY 2013, Colmar station had a weekday average of 370 boardings and 369 alightings.[1]
Colmar station was originally built in 1856 by the North Pennsylvania Railroad as Line Lexington Station, despite being located 1½ miles away from the Village of Line Lexington. In January 1871 a new post office near the station named the surrounding community "Jenkins" and was renamed "Ainsworth" in June of that year, but neither had any effect on the name of the station until two weeks later, when both the village and the station were named "Colmar," which has remained the name of the station ever since.[2][3]
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