How to Find the Right Welding Trade School near Saegertown Pennsylvania
Selecting the ideal welding school near Saegertown PA is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the right one? Most people start by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial issues when examining welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to create 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 Training
There are a number of options to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Saegertown PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally made available by technical and trade schools and take about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed mainly to develop 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 finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology provides 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 prerequisites for welders, so don’t forget to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to providing the suitable training to become a professional welder.
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Welder Certification Choices
There are various organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Saegertown PA employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based on the type of work that the welder does. A few 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 various types of welds
- Work based on contract specifications
As earlier mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, many also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welding tech school you choose prepares you for certification if needed.
Points to Ask Welder Vocational Programs
After you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Saegertown PA area. That’s why it’s essential to establish up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already discussed 2 important ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the school you pick is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might want to consider before picking a welding technical school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are 2 basic types of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So make sure 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 organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Saegertown PA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welding diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools must have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place 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 associations within the Saegertown PA welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an academic program and complete it. It’s crucial that the welder program you choose has a high completion rate. A lower rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Saegertown PA contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have narrowed down your selection of welding programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should think out going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure 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 Saegertown PA welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.
School Location. Although we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should address. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to move, the welding school you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Saegertown PA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder diploma 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 an area or state where you ultimately will want to work.
Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not receive much personalized training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of 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. Also, chat with a couple of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still employed at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Saegertown PA, make sure that the schools you are looking at offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.
Online Welding Training Programs
Welding is truly a hands-on type of profession, and for that reason not very compatible with online training. Even so, there are some online welding programs offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Saegertown PA area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to start their education and training. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that would like to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very careful and confirm that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
Guide to Weekend Trade Schools for Welders Near Me Saegertown PA
Picking the ideal welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Guide to Weekend Trade Schools for Welders Near Me and wanted more information on the topic TIG Welding School. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller 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. Courses differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program offers different options for certification also. Perhaps the best means to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you pick is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Saegertown PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Saegertown, Pennsylvania
"The settlement began at was is now known as Saegertown ca. 1795, when the brothers, Arthur and Patrick McGill, came to Woodcock Township. After Major Roger Alden built a sawmill in Saegertown, approximately 1800, the settlement was known for several years as Aldens Mill. In 1824, Daniel Saeger bought Alden's mill and adjacent lands and at the age of 44, he laid out the town under its present name. Saeger, a native of Pennsylvania of German descent, left Egypt, Pa. in 1823 to find a suitable place to settle. After he arrived in Saegertown, he attracted to the area a large number of German Yeomanry from Lehigh and other eastern Pa. counties. Being active in the community, Saeger was an early member of the Lutheran Church, the owner of a sawmill and general store, and a justice of the peace. He was a member of the Pa. State Legislature." [6]
Saegertown is located north of the center of Crawford County at 41°43′10″N 80°8′44″W / 41.71944°N 80.14556°W / 41.71944; -80.14556 (41.719482, -80.145660).[8] It is bordered to the north, east, and south by Woodcock Township and to the west, across French Creek, by Hayfield Township.
U.S. Route 19 and 6 pass together through the center of town, leading northeast 8 miles (13 km) to Cambridge Springs and south 6 miles (10 km) to Meadville, the Crawford County seat. Pennsylvania Route 198 leads southeast 6 miles (10 km) to Blooming Valley and west 3 miles (5 km) to Exit 154 on Interstate 79. Via I-79 it is 32 miles (51 km) north to Erie and 95 miles (153 km) south to Pittsburgh.
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