How to Pick the Best Welder Certificate Program near Temple Pennsylvania
Selecting the ideal welding technical school near Temple PA is an important first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you pick the best one? Most prospective students start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. When they have located those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important considerations when examining welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before beginning 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 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 Programs
There are several alternatives available to obtain training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief summaries of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Temple PA area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally made available by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to teach 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 furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying 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. If required, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.
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Welder Certification Choices
There are several organizations that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Temple PA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are offered based on the type of work that the welder does. Some of the skills that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with certain metal thicknesses
- Work with various kinds of welds
- Perform in compliance with contract specifications
As previously mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and verify that the welding technical school you decide on prepares you for certification if needed.
Points to Ask Welder Tech Schools
As soon as you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Temple PA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously covered 2 significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to evaluate before selecting a welder trade school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding vocational school you pick is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are 2 standard kinds of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation may also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Temple PA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welder degree or diploma programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist 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 refer their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the Temple PA welding community.
Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that enroll in an educational program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding school you choose has a high completion rate. A lower rate might signify that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, 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 confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of Temple PA contacts to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have limited your choice of welder programs to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable 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. If not, ask a local Temple PA welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.
School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder school you choose needs to be within commuting distance of your Temple PA home. If you do decide 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 welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you subsequently will wish to work.
Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in bigger classes and not obtain much personalized training. Find out what the average class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend a few classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with some of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk to a few of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Flexible Class Schedules. Many people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Temple PA, make sure that the schools you are assessing offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of illness, work or family circumstances.
Online Welding Schools
Welding is truly a manual kind of trade, and for that reason not very suitable for online training. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Temple PA area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes primarily cover 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 critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials until you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be accomplished 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 earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and make certain that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
How To Become A Certified Welder Temple PA
Choosing the best welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in How To Become A Certified Welder and wanted more information on the topic Best Schools For Welding. However, as we have covered in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are looking at. It’s a necessity that any welding training program that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world perspective, and the training program should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every program offers unique possibilities for certification as well. Probably The ideal approach to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and faculty. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Temple PA.
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Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team represents Temple University in the sport of college football. The Temple Owls compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American). They play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Owls were a football-only member of the Big East Conference from 1991 until 2004. Temple was expelled from the league due to a lack of commitment to the football program from university officials. Temple played the 2005 and 2006 seasons as an independent before playing in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) from 2007 to 2011. In March 2012, the Owls rejoined the Big East Conference, with football membership beginning in the 2012 season and all other sports beginning conference play in 2013. That same year, the conference was renamed the American Athletic Conference after several basketball-only schools split off to form a new conference that kept the Big East name. Temple is the last original Big East football member still in the American Athletic Conference.
Temple began playing organized football in 1894, a decade after the school was founded. Physical education instructor and basketball coach Charles M. Williams organized an 11-man squad that won their first game against Philadelphia Dental College.[3] For its first few years, the football team played small schools and there are few records of its games.
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