How to Pick the Right Welder Training Class near Willow Grove Pennsylvania
Selecting the ideal welding technical school near Willow Grove PA is an essential first step to launching your new career 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 alternatives, how do you select the best one? Many people start by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations when examining welder trade 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 wise to create a list of qualifications that your selected 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 multiple 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 offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are short explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the Willow Grove PA area.
- Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, created primarily to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for working welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to finish 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 supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore don’t forget to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.
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Welding Certification Options
There are a number of organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Willow Grove PA employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based upon the kind of work that the welder performs. Just some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with certain metal thicknesses
- Work with various types of welds
- Operate in compliance with contract specifications
As formerly stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, many also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welder vocational school you choose prepares you for certification if needed.
What to Ask Welding Trade Schools
When you have decided on the credential you would like to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are many welder trade and technical schools in the Willow Grove PA area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously covered two significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the school you decide on is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to evaluate before picking a welder trade school.
Accreditation. It’s very important that the welder trade school you select 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 offers, for instance Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, 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). Besides helping make sure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation can also help in getting financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Willow Grove PA for non-accredited schools. Finally, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. A large number of welding diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. 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. 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 placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Willow Grove PA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s important that the welding program you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate may mean that the students who were in the program were unhappy with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality 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 Willow Grove PA employer relationships to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have limited your selection of welding schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with in the field. 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 Willow Grove PA welding professional if they can give you some pointers.
School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to cover. You should keep in mind that unless you have the ability to move, the welder school you pick needs to be within driving distance of your Willow Grove PA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses 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 a job placement or apprenticeship 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 subsequently will want to work.
Small Classes. Personalized training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Find out what the typical class size is for the welding programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can witness how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, chat with a few of the instructors and find out 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 current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Willow Grove PA, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide those alternatives. If you can only attend part-time, verify 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 work, sickness or family responsibilities.
Online Welder Classes
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and therefore not extremely suitable for online training. However, there are some online welding classes offered by various community colleges and trade schools in the greater Willow Grove PA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes primarily cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a foundation to initiate 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 done online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned 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 make sure that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Best Colleges For Welding Willow Grove PA
Picking the best welding school will undoubtedly 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 Best Colleges For Welding and wanted more information on the topic Short Course Welding. However, as we have discussed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are reviewing. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training that you are assessing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best fulfill your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you select is the best one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Willow Grove PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington Township and Upper Moreland Township. Willow Grove was once known for Willow Grove Park, an amusement park that was open from 1896 to 1976, now the site of Willow Grove Park Mall. Willow Grove is considered an edge city of Philadelphia with large amounts of retail and office space.[3]
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove was located northwest of the Willow Grove CDP in Horsham Township.[4] NAS JRB Willow Grove transitioned into Horsham Air National Guard Station in September 2011.[citation needed]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2), of which 0.28% is water. It has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and its hardiness zone is 7a.
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