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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Berkeley CA

How to Choose a Welding Certification Class near Berkeley California

Berkeley CA welding school studentEnrolling in the right welding trade school near Berkeley CA is an essential first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? A number of people start by checking out 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 crucial concerns when evaluating welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

Berkeley CA welder working on pipingThere are multiple options to get 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 Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Following are short descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Berkeley CA.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, designed largely to develop welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for working welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of future employment. As needed, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Choices

Berkeley CA welder working on poleThere are multiple organizations that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Berkeley CA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available based on the kind of work that the welder does. Some of the things that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

  • Work in compliance with specific codes
  • Work with specific metal thicknesses
  • Work with various types of welds
  • Operate in compliance with contract specifications

As already stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and verify that the welding tech school you select readies you for certification if needed.

How to Select a Welder Technical School

Berkeley CA welder working on carWhen you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder trade and technical schools in the Berkeley CA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already covered a couple of significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the program you choose is going to provide the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to consider before picking a welder trade school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding vocational school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. 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 single program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you select is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation may also help in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Berkeley CA for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are considering help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools must have relationships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop relationships within the Berkeley CA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an academic program and finish it. It’s important that the welding school you pick has a higher completion rate. A low rate may signify that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but also that it has the network of Berkeley CA employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using in the field. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Berkeley CA welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a few additional points that we should deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the welding school you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Berkeley CA home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welding 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 an area or state where you subsequently will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in bigger classes and not receive much one-on-one training. Find out what the average class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can witness just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with some of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, talk to a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Some people learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Check to see that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Berkeley CA, make certain that the schools you are assessing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Berkeley CA?

Perhaps you live in the Berkeley California area, or have decided to enroll in a Welding Program that has a campus near there.  In either case, you may find this bit of history both interesting and informative.

Berkeley, California

Berkeley (/ˈbɜːrkli/ BURK-lee) is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emeryville to the south and the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington to the north. Its eastern border with Contra Costa County generally follows the ridge of the Berkeley Hills. The 2010 census recorded a population of 112,580.

Berkeley is home to the oldest campus in the University of California system, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is managed and operated by the University. It also has the Graduate Theological Union, one of the largest religious studies institutions in the world. Berkeley is one of the most socially liberal cities in the United States.

The site of today's City of Berkeley was the territory of the Chochenyo/Huchiun band of the Ohlone people when the first Europeans arrived.[12] Evidence of their existence in the area include pits in rock formations, which they used to grind acorns, and a shellmound, now mostly leveled and covered up, along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay at the mouth of Strawberry Creek. Other artifacts were discovered in the 1950s in the downtown area during remodeling of a commercial building, near the upper course of the creek.

Online Welder Training Programs

pipe welder at work in Berkeley CAWelding is truly a manual type of vocation, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Even so, there are some online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Berkeley CA area that may count toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to begin their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly 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 expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Right Welding Vocational Program Berkeley CA

Picking the ideal welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have covered in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welder school 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 on. Classroom teaching needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best fulfill your needs. Every training program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal means to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Take the time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the program you select is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Berkeley CA.

 

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