How to Pick the Best Welding Technical School near Newmanstown Pennsylvania
Finding the right welding trade school near Newmanstown PA is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you select the right one? Most prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial issues when evaluating welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to establish a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.
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Welding Degree and Certificate Training Courses
There are several options available to obtain 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 made available along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Newmanstown PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by technical and trade schools and take about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, created primarily to develop 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 2 years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded 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 prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welding school you select should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.
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Welding Certification Options
There are several organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Newmanstown PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned 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 acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specific metal thicknesses
- Work with various kinds of welds
- Operate in compliance with contract specifications
As formerly stated, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder vocational school you select preps you for certification as needed.
What to Ask Welder Trade Programs
After you have decided on the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding trade and vocational schools in the Newmanstown PA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously discussed 2 significant ones that most 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 program you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may want to consider before selecting a welder tech school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder vocational school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 basic types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual 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 acknowledged accrediting agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in getting financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Newmanstown 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 also.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder certificate or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools should have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Newmanstown PA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder program you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate might indicate that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher 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 Newmanstown PA contacts to assist students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Newmanstown PA welding professional if they can give you a few pointers.
School Location. Although we already briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should cover. You should remember that unless you have the ability to move, the welding program you select needs to be within driving distance of your Newmanstown PA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving expenses there might 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 offers 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 subsequently will want to work.
Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in bigger classes and not receive much one-on-one training. Ask what the average class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can observe how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their feedback. Also, chat with a couple of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Convenient Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Newmanstown PA, make certain that the schools you are looking at offer those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Online Welder Classes
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 various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Newmanstown PA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and make sure that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Guide to Accredited Welding Trade Schools Newmanstown PA
Picking the best 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 Accredited Welding Trade Schools and wanted more information on the topic Guide to Weekend Welding Trade Schools. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Each training program provides unique options for certification as well. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you pick is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Newmanstown PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Newmanstown, Pennsylvania
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), all of it land. Route 419 runs through Newmanstown. A creek, Mill Creek, which drains northward into the Tulpehocken Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River, runs along the west side of the town.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,536 people, 603 households, and 417 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 702.3 people per square mile (270.8/km²). There were 635 housing units at an average density of 290.3/sq mi (112.0/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.05% White, 0.52% African American, 0.26% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population.
There were 603 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05.
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