How to Pick the Right Welder Certification Program near Slatington Pennsylvania
Locating the ideal welding school near Slatington PA is an important first step to beginning your new career 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 fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students start by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary issues when examining welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.
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Welder Degree and Certificate Programs
There are a number of options available to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief explanations of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Slatington PA area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and require about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental 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 furnishes 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 prerequisites for welders, therefore make sure to check for your location of future employment. As needed, the welding school you choose should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.
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Welder Certification Options
There are several institutions that provide welder certifications, which test the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Slatington PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available 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 certain metal thicknesses
- Work with various kinds of welds
- Operate based on contract specifications
As earlier stated, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, a number also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welder tech school you decide on readies you for certification as needed.
Questions to Ask Welding Technical Programs
After you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you probably know, there are many welding trade and technical schools in the Slatington PA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed two important ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the school you pick is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are more factors you may need to consider before choosing a welder tech school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding trade school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 standard 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, 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 agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you receive a quality education, the accreditation can also help in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Slatington PA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.
Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and other 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 assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Slatington PA welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an instructional program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding program you select has a higher completion rate. A low rate may mean that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Slatington PA contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have narrowed down your choice of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using in the field. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Slatington PA welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.
School Location. Although we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the welding program you select must be within commuting distance of your Slatington PA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Also, 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 instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the typical class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on some classes so that you can observe just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk with a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Convenient Class Scheduling. Many people learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Slatington PA, make certain that the schools you are considering offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you decide on 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 circumstances.
Online Welding Training
Welding is very much a manual type of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Slatington PA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to begin their education and training. Nevertheless, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed online. These skills need to 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 knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and verify that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Guide to Part Time Welding Colleges Slatington PA
Selecting the right welder training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new career. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Guide to Part Time Welding Colleges and wanted more information on the topic Night Welding Classes. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are reviewing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every training program offers unique possibilities for certification also. Probably the best means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new trade as a professional welder in Slatington PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Slatington, Pennsylvania
Slatington is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is located 20 miles north of Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is 62 miles south of Scranton, and 70 miles north of Philadelphia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), of which 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (4.35%) is water.
Slatington's elevation is 738 feet above sea level. Slatington's elevation varies from 330 feet at the Lehigh River on the east side of town to 750 feet by the Union Cemetery on Route 873 to the south.
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