How to Choose the Right Welder Technical School near Shamokin Pennsylvania
Finding the ideal welding school near Shamokin PA is an essential first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the right one? Many prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary considerations when examining welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 wise 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 Degree and Certificate Training Programs
There are a number of options available to get 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 degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Shamokin PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by technical and trade schools and take about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, created largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 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 certificate or diploma while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
Many states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welder school you pick should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to providing the proper training to become a qualified welder.
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Welder Certification Options
There are various organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Shamokin PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder performs. A few of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specific metal thicknesses
- Work with various types of welds
- Perform in compliance with contract specifications
As already mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding tech school you select readies you for certification if needed.
Points to Ask Welder Tech Programs
After you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are a large number of welding trade and technical schools in the Shamokin PA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed a couple of significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to consider before picking a welding technical school.
Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding vocational school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you get a quality education, the accreditation can also assist in getting financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available in Shamokin PA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welding diploma or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools must have partnerships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Shamokin PA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an instructional program and complete it. It’s important that the welding program you select has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate might signify that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Shamokin PA employer relationships to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.
Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your selection of welder schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. 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, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Shamokin PA welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.
School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a few additional issues that we need to address. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding program you select must be within commuting distance of your Shamokin PA home. If you do choose to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, often their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you ultimately will desire to work.
Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be lost in bigger classes and not get much individualized training. Find out what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can see how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with several of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, talk to a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Shamokin PA, confirm that the schools you are assessing provide those choices. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, verify that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family circumstances.
Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs
Welding is very much a hands-on kind of profession, and for that reason not very suitable for training online. Even so, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Shamokin PA area that may be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to start their education and training. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle 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 more appropriate for experienced 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 very careful and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Guide to Evening Trade Schools for Welders Near Me Shamokin PA
Choosing the best welder school 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 Guide to Evening Trade Schools for Welders Near Me and wanted more information on the topic Welding Degree Programs. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the programs you are looking at. It’s a must that any welder training that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their own welding machine to train on. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Every training program offers unique options for certification also. Perhaps The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Shamokin PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Shamokin, Pennsylvania
Shamokin (/ʃəˈmoʊkɪn/; Saponi Algonquian Schahamokink, meaning "place of eels") (Lenape Indian language: Shahëmokink [3]) is a city in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, surrounded by Coal Township at the western edge of the Anthracite Coal Region in central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley. It was named after a Saponi Indian village, Schahamokink. At the 2010 decennial United States Census, the population was 7,374, approximately half what it was in 1950.
The first human settlement of Shamokin was probably Shawnee natives migrants.[citation needed] A large population of Delaware Indians (also known as the Lenapes) were also forcibly resettled there in the early 18th century after they lost rights to their land in the "Walking Purchase" (also known as the "Walking Treaty") along the eastern border of the colonial Province of Pennsylvania in the upper northern reaches of the Delaware River in 1737. Canasatego of the Six Nations, enforcing the Walking Purchase on behalf of George Thomas, Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania (1738-1747), ordered the Delaware Indians to go to two places on the Susquehanna River.
The city of present-day Shamokin was founded as a village by colonists in 1773, but did not develop much until the following 19th century. The discovery of anthracite coal resources in the region, known as "hard coal," became the basis of much industry. Railroad companies, such as Reading Railroad, bought interests in coal and became major employers of the area, building railroads to ship coal to markets and controlling most jobs. Workers gradually organized into unions to develop means of bargaining with these powerful companies. During the nationwide Great Railroad Strike of July 1877, workers in the 1877 Shamokin Uprising at that time marched and demonstrated during the summer period of labor unrest.
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