How to Choose a Welding Certification Program near Craig Colorado

Finding the right welder technical school near Craig CO is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are so many schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you select the best one? A number of people start by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations when examining welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to develop 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.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Courses

There are several alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Following are brief descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Craig CO.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and take about a 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 specialized 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 provides a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If required, the welder school you pick should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to take in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are several organizations that provide welding certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Craig CO employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, 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 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 specific kinds of welds
• Work in compliance with contract specifications

As earlier mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, a number additionally require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make sure that the welding trade school you choose preps you for certification as needed.

How to Decide on a Welder Tech Program

When you have chosen the credential you want to attain, a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you probably know, there are a large number of welder trade and technical schools in the Craig CO area. That’s why it’s essential to establish in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed 2 important ones that many people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be considered. After all, the program you choose is going to furnish the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might need to evaluate before selecting a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding trade school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are 2 basic 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 certain that the program you select is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, for example the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping make sure that you get a superior education, the accreditation might also help in getting financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Craig CO 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. A large number of welding degree or diploma programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools should have associations with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can place their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish associations within the Craig CO welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding school you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate might signify that the students who joined the program were unhappy with the instruction, 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 trade, but also that it has the network of Craig CO employer relationships to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. Once you have narrowed down your selection of welder programs to two or three options, you should consider going to the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are modern. Specifically, 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 Craig CO welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we need to address. You should remember that unless you can move, the welder school you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Craig CO 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 true for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, 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 ultimately will wish to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to be overlooked in bigger classes and not receive much individualized training. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder schools you are considering. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can see just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their evaluations. Also, talk with some of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are reviewing are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Craig CO, confirm that the schools you are looking at offer those alternatives. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of work, sickness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Craig CO?

Perhaps you live in the Craig Colorado 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.

Online Welder Certificate and Degree Programs

Welding is very much a manual kind of vocation, and for that reason not very compatible with training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Craig CO area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly deal with such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a foundation to initiate their education and training. However, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly 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 better suited for experienced welders that want to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and verify that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Right Welding Tech School Craig CO

Choosing the best welding school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes should be smaller in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the training program should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each training program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal 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 attend a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and commitment, the end outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Craig CO.