How to Pick the Best Welder Training Program near Cambridge Massachusetts
Enrolling in the ideal welder school near Cambridge MA is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you select the right one? A number of prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when examining 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 wise to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen 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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Welding Certificate and Degree Programs
There are a number of options to receive training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Cambridge MA area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and take about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for working welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
A number of states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you select should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to providing the proper training to become a qualified welder.
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Welder Certification Options
There are a number of institutions that offer welding certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Cambridge MA employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered based upon the kind of work that the welder performs. Just some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specific metal thicknesses
- Work with specific kinds of welds
- Work based on contract specifications
As already mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welder tech school you select preps you for certification as needed.
Points to Ask Welding Trade Schools
When you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can start to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Cambridge MA area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already covered a couple of important ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the school you pick is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to consider before selecting a welding technical school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two basic types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, 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). Besides helping make sure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Cambridge MA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance 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 establish associations within the Cambridge MA welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an educational program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate might indicate that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, 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 confirm that the program has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Cambridge MA employer relationships to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Cambridge MA welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.
School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to address. You should remember that unless you are able to relocate, the welding program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Cambridge MA home. If you do opt to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from 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. Additionally, if the school offers a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you ultimately will wish to work.
Smaller Classes. Personalized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get overlooked in larger classes and not receive much individualized instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can observe just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk with some of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.
Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs 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 Cambridge MA, make certain that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only enroll 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 due to illness, work or family circumstances.
Online Welding Training
Welding is very much a hands-on kind of trade, and consequently not very suitable for training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Cambridge MA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to start their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that would like to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Compare Part Time Schools for Welders Cambridge MA
Selecting the ideal welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Compare Part Time Schools for Welders and wanted more information on the topic Guide to Accelerated Schools for Welders. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welding school that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to provide a real-world context, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Programs vary in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Cambridge MA.
Other Massachusetts Welder Locations
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Situated directly north of Boston, across the Charles River, it was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders.[4]:18
Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lesley University, and Hult Business School are in Cambridge,[5] as was Radcliffe College, a college for women until it merged with Harvard on October 1, 1999.
According to the 2010 Census, the city's population was 105,162.[6] As of July 2014[update], it was the fifth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Lowell.[7] Cambridge was one of two seats of Middlesex County until the county government was abolished in Massachusetts in 1997.
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