How to Choose the Right Welder Certificate Program near Souderton Pennsylvania
Enrolling in the right welding trade school near Souderton PA is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you select the best one? Most prospective students begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when evaluating welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors 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 create a list of qualifications that your selected 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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Welding 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 available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief summaries of the most common welding programs offered in the Souderton PA area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Some states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you select should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a professional welder.
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Welder Certification Choices
There are several organizations that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Souderton PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. 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 types of welds
- Perform based on contract specifications
As earlier mentioned, many cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, some additionally require certification for various kinds 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, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder technical school you choose prepares you for certification if needed.
Topics to Ask Welder Trade Schools
After you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you probably know, there are numerous welding trade and vocational schools in the Souderton PA area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed 2 important ones that many people look at 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 looked at. After all, the school you decide on is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to evaluate before picking a welder technical school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, 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 ensure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in Souderton PA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welder degree or diploma programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have relationships 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 rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Souderton PA welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an educational program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welding program you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate might signify that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Souderton PA contacts to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welder schools to 2 or 3 options, you should consider going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Confirm that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are not sure 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 Souderton PA welding professional if they can give you a few pointers.
School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you are able to move, the welder program you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Souderton PA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship 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 subsequently will want to work.
Smaller Classes. Individualized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Ask if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can observe how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with several of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk to a few of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Souderton PA, make certain that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to illness, work or family responsibilities.
Online Welding Training Programs
Welding is very much a manual type of trade, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. However, there are a few online welding programs offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Souderton PA area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, 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 setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and make sure that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Welding Certification Souderton PA
Choosing the right welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Welding Certification and wanted more information on the topic Good Welding Schools. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs differ in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers unique options for certification as well. Probably The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty 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 decide on is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Souderton PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Souderton, Pennsylvania
The town was originally named Welshtown, because it was settled by the Welsh. Souderton is prefigured in a map of 1847 as Souder's Lumberyard, and the new name was certainly in place by the railroad era in the second half of the 19th century.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²), of which, 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water. The terrain is mildly rolling hills, with some steeper hills in the downtown area, and flat terrain throughout.
The Mayor is John Reynolds. Souderton also has an appointed Junior Councilor who is appointed when under 18 of age and serves a 1-year term, without voting privileges. The current Junior Councilor is E. Shane Myers.[4] The Borough Manager is P. Michael Coll.[5]
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