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Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Friendship AR

How to Choose a Welder Training Class near Friendship Arkansas

Friendship AR welding school studentLocating the ideal welder vocational school near Friendship AR is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you pick the best one? A number of people start by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are important considerations when reviewing welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Degree and Certificate Training

Friendship AR welder working on pipingThere are several 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 offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Below are short summaries of the most common welding programs offered in the Friendship AR.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and require about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned mainly to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for working welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete 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 providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so make sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If required, the welder school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Options

Friendship AR welder working on poleThere are various institutions that provide welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Friendship AR employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are offered based on the kind 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 types of welds
  • Operate according to contract specifications

As formerly stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and make certain that the welder technical school you select prepares you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welding Vocational School

Friendship AR welder working on carWhen you have chosen the credential you want to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are many welder trade and vocational schools in the Friendship AR area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide up front what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously discussed a couple of important ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that should be considered. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may need to consider before picking a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a single program the school has, such as Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, 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 make sure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation may also assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Friendship AR for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welding diploma or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. These schools should have partnerships 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 referrals. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Friendship AR welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an educational program and complete it. It’s essential that the welding program you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate may mean that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only affirm that the school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Friendship AR contacts to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. Once you have limited your choice of welder schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be working with on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Friendship AR welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to address. You should remember that unless you are able to relocate, the welding program you select needs to be within driving distance of your Friendship AR home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, often 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 desire to work.

Small Classes. Individualized training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in larger classes and not get much personalized instruction. Ask what the average class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on a few classes so that you can experience just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their opinions. Similarly, speak with a few of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Friendship AR, make sure that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Friendship AR?

Perhaps you live in the Friendship Arkansas 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.

Friendship, Arkansas

Friendship is located in southern Hot Spring County at 34°13′26″N 93°0′11″W / 34.22389°N 93.00306°W / 34.22389; -93.00306 (34.223845, -93.003182),[4] on high ground half a mile (0.8 km) north of the Ouachita River. U.S. Route 67 passes through the center of town, leading northeast 16 miles (26 km) to Malvern, the county seat, and southwest 10 miles (16 km) to Arkadelphia. Interstate 30 passes just northwest of the town limits, with access from Exit 83. I-30 leads northeast 60 miles (97 km) to Little Rock and southwest 85 miles (137 km) to Texarkana.

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 206 people, 79 households, and 57 families residing in the town. The population density was 280.4 inhabitants per square mile (109.0/km²). There were 83 housing units at an average density of 113.0 per square mile (43.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.51% White, 0.49% from other races. 1.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 79 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.

Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Friendship ARWelding is very much a hands-on type of trade, and consequently not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding classes offered by specific community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Friendship AR area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly cover such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner 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. Naturally that can’t be done online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and verify that the majority of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Find the Right Welding Vocational Program Friendship AR

Choosing the right welding training program will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any welding training program that you are reviewing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student should have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the students and instructors. Invest some time to attend some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Friendship AR.

 

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