How to Pick the Best Welding Technical School near Tannersville Pennsylvania
Enrolling in the ideal welder trade school near Tannersville PA is an important first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the right one? A number of prospective students start by looking at the schools that are closest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial concerns when reviewing welding technical 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 prudent to establish 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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Welding Certificate and Degree Training
There are a number of options to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Tannersville PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, designed largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for experienced welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. If required, the welding school you choose should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.
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Welding Certification Alternatives
There are a number of organizations that offer welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Tannersville PA employers not only require a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the type 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 certain metal thicknesses
- Work with certain types of welds
- Work in compliance with contract specifications
As already stated, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make certain that the welder vocational school you select prepares you for certification if needed.
Topics to Ask Welding Vocational Programs
When you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welder trade and technical schools in the Tannersville PA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered a couple of important ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might need to evaluate before selecting a welder trade school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding technical school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation can also help in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Tannersville PA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welder certificate or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist 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 refer 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 relationships within the Tannersville PA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welding program you pick has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate may indicate that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Tannersville PA employer relationships to help students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have decreased your choice of welder schools to two or three options, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. If you are not sure 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 Tannersville PA welding contractor if they can give you a few pointers.
School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to cover. You should bear in mind that unless you can move, the welding program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Tannersville PA home. If you do opt to enroll in an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely 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 ultimately will wish to work.
Smaller Classes. Personalized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in bigger classes and not get much one-on-one training. Ask what the average class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can witness just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, talk with some of the students and get their evaluations. Similarly, talk to a few of the instructors and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.
Flexible Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Check to see that the class schedules for the programs you are looking at are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Tannersville PA, confirm that the schools you are assessing provide those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.
Online Welding Classes
Welding is very much a manual kind of vocation, and consequently not extremely suitable for training online. However, there are some online welding classes offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Tannersville PA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a basis to initiate their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their expertise or perhaps attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and verify that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.
How Long Is Welding School Tannersville PA
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 How Long Is Welding School and wanted more information on the topic TIG Welding Lessons. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welding training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides different options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to monitor some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new career as a professional welder in Tannersville PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Tannersville, Pennsylvania
The village of Tannersville, in Pocono Township, Pennsylvania, is the site of the popular Camelback Ski Area and Camelbeach Waterpark. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 883 feet (269 m). As of 2000, the population of Tannersville (ZIP Code 18372) was 2,784. The community is served by the 629 exchange in Area Code 570.
Tannersville was founded in approximately 1750 by John Larner, formerly of Philadelphia. Tannersville, according to one historian, was first called Pocono Point. Many Indian trails were later widened for stagecoach use, and later evolved into highways. Two of the most famous of these are Lackawanna Trail (now Rt. 611) through Tannersville and Sullivan's Trail. Learned's Tavern (which most recently was under the name The 1740 Alpine Inn, and which burned down in 2000, was established along the Lackawanna Trail, and in 1779, was the last building on the frontier. On June 18, 1779, General John Sullivan and his soldiers camped at the Learn's or Learned's Tavern. They then cut a road (now Sullivan's Trail) through the wilderness. Tannersville also consists of The Crossings Premium Outlets, a major tourist attraction.
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