How to Select the Right Welding Certificate Program near Auburn Georgia
Enrolling in the ideal welder technical school near Auburn GA is an essential first step to launching your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many 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 right one? Most prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important concerns when evaluating welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s wise 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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Welding Certificate and Degree Programs
There are a number of options to get 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 programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Auburn GA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally made available by trade and technical schools and take about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized 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 offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you choose should ready you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.
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Welder Certification Choices
There are a number of institutions that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Auburn GA employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based on the type 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 based on contract specifications
As already stated, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make sure that the welding trade school you select readies you for certification if needed.
What to Ask Welder Trade Programs
After you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welder trade and vocational schools in the Auburn GA area. That’s why it’s essential to establish in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed a couple of significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important 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 profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might need to consider before selecting a welder vocational school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder tech school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two basic types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not offered in Auburn GA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Auburn GA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an educational program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate might mean that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. 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 a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Auburn GA employer relationships to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have decreased your selection of welding schools to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. Specifically, 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 currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Auburn GA welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.
School Location. Even though we previously briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we should cover. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welder program you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Auburn GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than 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 manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much personalized training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can observe how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with some of the students and get their feedback. Also, chat with a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Auburn GA, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, verify that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family emergencies.
Online Welding Training
Welding is very much a manual type of vocation, and therefore not extremely suitable for online training. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Auburn GA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to initiate their training and education. However, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously 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 expertise or perhaps obtain 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.
Free Info on Online Welding Trade Schools Auburn GA
Picking the right welding training program will probably be the most critical decision you will make to start your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Free Info on Online Welding Trade Schools and wanted more information on the topic Free Info on Part Time Welding Trade Schools. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are considering. It’s a must that any welding school that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Each training program offers unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Auburn GA.
Other Georgia Welder Locations
Auburn, Georgia
Auburn is located in western Barrow County at 34°1′0″N 83°49′55″W / 34.01667°N 83.83194°W / 34.01667; -83.83194 (34.016692, -83.831869).[5] It is 42 miles (68 km) northeast of downtown Atlanta and 27 miles (43 km) west of Athens.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.5 square miles (16.8 km2), of which 6.4 square miles (16.7 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 0.39%, is water.[2]
As of 2010 Auburn had a population of 6,887. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 85.3% white, 4.9% black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.1% Asian, 3.3% from some other race and 2.1% reporting two or more races. 7.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.[7]
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