How to Pick the Right Welding Degree Program near New Castle Colorado
Finding the ideal welding school near New Castle CO is an important first step to starting your new career 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 significantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the best one? Many prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial concerns when evaluating welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 prudent to establish 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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Welder Degree and Certificate Training
There are multiple options available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most common welding programs available in the New Castle CO area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and require about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Some municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to check for your location of future employment. As needed, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a professional welder.
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Welding Certification Choices
There are several institutions that offer welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of New Castle CO employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon 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 specified metal thicknesses
- Work with certain types of welds
- Perform based on contract specifications
As already mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welding vocational school you select prepares you for certification as needed.
Questions to Ask Welding Tech Schools
Once you have chosen the credential you want to earn, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welding vocational and trade schools in the New Castle CO area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the school you pick is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you might need to consider before choosing a welding technical school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder technical school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are often not offered in New Castle CO for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Many welder certificate or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place 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 must have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the New Castle CO welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welder program you choose has a higher completion rate. A lower rate could indicate that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of New Castle CO contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities 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, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local New Castle CO welding professional if they can give you some tips.
School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding school you select must be within driving distance of your New Castle CO home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder 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 subsequently will desire to work.
Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Inquire if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can experience how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their feedback. Also, chat with some of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Convenient Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near New Castle CO, make certain that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.
Online Welder Training
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of profession, and therefore not very suitable for training online. Even so, there are some online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater New Castle CO area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a foundation to start their education and training. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly 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 bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Guide to Online Welding Classes New Castle CO
Picking the right welder school will probably 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 Online Welding Classes and wanted more information on the topic Guide to Part Time Welding Classes. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare between the programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welder school that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom education should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program offers unique options for certification as well. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Take the time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in New Castle CO.
Other Colorado Welder Locations
New Castle, Colorado
New Castle is located at 39°34′20″N 107°32′6″W / 39.57222°N 107.53500°W / 39.57222; -107.53500 (39.572304, -107.534941),[9] on the north side of the Colorado River, just east of where the river cuts through the Grand Hogback. Interstate 70 passes through the town following the river, with access from Exit 105. I-70 leads east 12 miles (19 km) to Glenwood Springs, the county seat, east 169 miles (272 km) to Denver, and west 74 miles (119 km) to Grand Junction. U.S. Route 6 is Main Street in New Castle and forms a parallel route to I-70 for local traffic. US-6 joins I-70 5 miles (8 km) to the east at Chacra and 17 miles (27 km) to the west at a point west of Rifle.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), of which 2.7 square miles (6.9 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 1.21%, is water.[8]
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 1,984 people, 705 households, and 537 families residing in the town. The population density was 850.6 people per square mile (328.8/km²). There were 731 housing units at an average density of 313.4 per square mile (121.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.61% White, 0.30% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 3.28% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.90% of the population.
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