How to Choose the Right Welder Training Program near Merrillville Indiana
Finding the ideal welding technical school near Merrillville IN is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? A number of people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. When they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial concerns when reviewing welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations 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 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.
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Welding Degree and Certificate Training
There are a number of alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma 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 along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Merrillville IN area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually offered by trade and technical schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned primarily to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional 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 well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
A number of states and municipalities do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will have to take in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a qualified welder.
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Welder Certification Alternatives
There are various institutions that offer welding certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Merrillville IN employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. A few of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specified metal thicknesses
- Work with certain kinds of welds
- Perform in compliance with contract specifications
As formerly mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many additionally 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 similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welding technical school you decide on preps you for certification as needed.
Subjects to Ask Welder Vocational Programs
When you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are many welding trade and technical schools in the Merrillville IN area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already covered 2 important ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you might want to consider before selecting a welder technical school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national 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 a specific program the school offers, such as 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 acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation can also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available in Merrillville IN for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding certificate or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools should have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop associations within the Merrillville IN welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an educational program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding school you pick has a high completion rate. A lower rate might mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Merrillville IN contacts to help students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Merrillville IN welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.
School Location. Although we previously briefly covered the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you have the ability to move, the welding school you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Merrillville IN home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you ultimately will wish to work.
Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in larger classes and not obtain much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can see how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk to a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.
Convenient Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Merrillville IN, confirm that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.
Online Welder Training
Welding is very much a hands-on kind of vocation, and consequently not very suitable for training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Merrillville IN area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to initiate their training and education. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously 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 seasoned welders that want to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very cautious and make sure that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Guide to Fast Track Welding Classes Near Me Merrillville IN
Choosing the right welding school will undoubtedly 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 Guide to Fast Track Welding Classes Near Me and wanted more information on the topic Guide to Evening Welding Classes Near Me. However, as we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any welder training that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on training. 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 current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Merrillville IN.
Other Indiana Welder Locations
Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville /ˈmɛrəlvɪl/ is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is in east-central Lake County, in the Chicago metropolitan area. On January 1, 2015, Merrillville became the most populated town in Indiana, as Fishers in Hamilton County was converted from a town to a city.
According to the 2010 census, Merrillville has a total area of 33.26 square miles (86.14 km2), of which 33.22 square miles (86.04 km2) (or 99.88%) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (or 0.12%) is water.[7]
The Lincoln Highway runs through Merrillville. The original alignment of Lincoln Highway is known as 73rd Avenue (also called Old Lincoln Highway) in Merrillville, while the current Lincoln Highway (US 30) is known as 81st Avenue. State Road 53 (Broadway) and State Road 55 (Taft Street) traverse the town from north to south.
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