How to Find the Right Welder Certification Class near Portland Maine
Enrolling in the ideal welding trade school near Portland ME is an important 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 know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? Most people begin by looking at the schools that are nearest to their residences. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important issues when examining welder vocational 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 vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to develop a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.
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Welder Degree and Certificate Programs
There are a number of options to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most typical welding programs available in the Portland ME area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by technical and trade schools and take about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed mainly 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 complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so make sure to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welder school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.
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Welder Certification Choices
There are various institutions that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Portland ME employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. A few of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with certain metal thicknesses
- Work with various kinds of welds
- Operate based on contract specifications
As previously stated, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welding trade school you select readies you for certification as needed.
What to Ask Welding Trade Programs
When you have decided on the credential you want to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welding vocational and trade schools in the Portland ME area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already covered two important ones that many people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the school you pick is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you might want to evaluate before selecting a welding tech school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder technical school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 basic kinds of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So make certain 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 agency, such as 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 obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Portland ME for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welder degree or diploma programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job 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 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 Portland ME welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder school you select has a higher completion rate. A low rate may signify that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, 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 affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Portland ME employer relationships to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.
Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welding schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Portland ME welding contractor if they can give you some tips.
School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding school you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Portland ME home. If you do opt to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you subsequently will wish to work.
Smaller Classes. Personalized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not get much individualized training. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, talk with a few of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Portland ME, verify that the schools you are looking at offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, illness or family emergencies.
Online Welder Classes
Welding is very much a hands-on kind of trade, and consequently not extremely compatible with training online. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Portland ME area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to initiate their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be accomplished 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 want to advance their knowledge or possibly 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 bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Top Weekend Welding Schools Portland ME
Choosing the best welding school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Top Weekend Welding Schools and wanted more information on the topic Best Fast Track Welding Schools. However, as we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to examine and compare among the programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in duration and the type of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best satisfy your needs. Every training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you select is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Portland ME.
Other Maine Welder Locations
Portland, Maine
Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 67,067 as of 2017.[5] The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, more than one-third of Maine's total population, making it the most populous metropolitan area in northern New England (an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont). Portland's economy relies mostly on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port district is known for its 19th-century architecture and nightlife. Marine industry still plays an important role in the city's economy, with an active waterfront that supports fishing and commercial shipping. The Port of Portland is the largest tonnage seaport in New England.[6]
The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, which is a reference to the recoveries from four devastating fires.[7] Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland, Dorset. In turn, the city of Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine.[8] Portland itself comes from the Old English word Portlanda, which literally means "land surrounding a harbor".[9]
Native Americans, originally called the Portland peninsula Machigonne ("Great Neck").[10] Portland was named for the English Isle of Portland, and the city of Portland, Oregon, was in turn named for Portland, Maine.[11] The first European settler was Capt. Christopher Levett, an English naval captain granted 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) in 1623 to found a settlement in Casco Bay. A member of the Council for New England and agent for Ferdinando Gorges, Levett built a stone house where he left a company of ten men, then returned to England to write a book about his voyage to bolster support for the settlement.[12] Ultimately, the settlement was a failure and the fate of Levett's colonists is unknown. The explorer sailed from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to meet John Winthrop in 1630, but never returned to Maine. Fort Levett in the harbor is named for him.
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