How to Select the Right Welding Degree Program near Durham Maine
Choosing the right welding technical school near Durham ME is an important first step to starting your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you select the best one? Most people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial concerns when reviewing welder vocational 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 trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to establish 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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Welder Certificate and Degree Programs
There are a number of options available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can earn a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Durham ME area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. If needed, the welding school you choose should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.
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Welding Certification Alternatives
There are a number of organizations that offer welding certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Durham ME employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered dependent on the type of work that the welder does. Some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with certain metal thicknesses
- Work with certain types of welds
- Perform based on contract specifications
As already mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welding vocational school you choose preps you for certification if needed.
What to Ask Welding Trade Schools
After you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to assess schools. As you probably know, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Durham ME area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed two important ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you select is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to consider before picking a welder technical school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two standard kinds 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 instance Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a superior education, the accreditation may also assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Durham ME for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. A large number of welder degree or diploma programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Durham ME welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welder school you pick has a high completion rate. A reduced rate may indicate that the students who joined 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 confirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Durham ME contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your selection of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to evaluate 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 comparable to what you will be working with in the field. If you are not sure 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 Durham ME welding professional if they can give you some pointers.
School Location. Even though we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should address. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welder school you pick must be within driving distance of your Durham ME home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, more than likely 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 want to work.
Small Classes. One-on-one instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in bigger classes and not receive much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can observe how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, speak with a few of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.
Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are flexible enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Durham ME, confirm that the schools you are assessing provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family emergencies.
Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and consequently not very compatible with training online. However, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and trade schools in the greater Durham ME area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally 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 better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their knowledge or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make sure that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
How to Enroll in Weekend Welding Course Near Me Durham ME
Choosing the ideal welder training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in How to Enroll in Weekend Welding Course Near Me and wanted more information on the topic Top Fast Track Welding Course Near Me. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training program that you are examining includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you select is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Durham ME.
Other Maine Welder Locations
Durham, Maine
Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,848 at the 2010 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.04 square miles (101.11 km2), of which 38.28 square miles (99.14 km2) is land and 0.76 square miles (1.97 km2) is water.[1]
As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 3,848 people, 1,496 households, and 1,143 families residing in the town. The population density was 100.5 inhabitants per square mile (38.8/km2). There were 1,548 housing units at an average density of 40.4 per square mile (15.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.8% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population.
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