How to Choose a Welding Trade School near Bogart Georgia

Locating the ideal welding vocational school near Bogart GA is an important first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you pick the best one? Most people begin by looking at the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when reviewing welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to establish a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training Classes

There are multiple alternatives available to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced programs than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are short descriptions of the most typical welding programs offered in the Bogart GA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, fashioned primarily to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for experienced 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 extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welder school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are several organizations that offer welder certifications, which assess the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Bogart GA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available dependent on the type of work that the welder does. A few of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

• Work in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specified metal thicknesses
• Work with certain types of welds
• Work according to contract specifications

As already mentioned, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those mandating licensing, a number also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally 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 select preps you for certification as needed.

How to Select a Welding Trade Program

Once you have decided on the credential you want to earn, 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 Bogart GA area. That’s why it’s important to decide in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have already covered 2 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 must be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are some additional factors you might need to consider before picking a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welding technical school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional organization. There are two basic kinds 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, such as Welding Technology. So confirm that the program you select is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you obtain a quality education, the accreditation may also help in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often not offered in Bogart GA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or local governments that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welder certificate or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job after graduation. Ask if the schools you are considering assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job assistance program. The schools should have partnerships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. More established schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can help students find employment and develop associations within the Bogart GA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an instructional program and complete it. It’s important that the welding program you choose has a higher completion rate. A low rate might signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Bogart GA employer relationships to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have decreased your selection of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to evaluate their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be taught on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using in the field. If you are unsure 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 Bogart GA welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Although we previously briefly talked about the significance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to cover. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to move, the welder school you pick must be within commuting distance of your Bogart GA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, besides moving costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, 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 ultimately will wish to work.

Small Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be lost in bigger classes and not receive much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are looking at. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can observe just how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with several of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk to a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only attend classes in the evenings or on weekends near Bogart GA, verify that the schools you are reviewing provide those options. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Bogart GA?

Perhaps you live in the Bogart Georgia 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 Training Programs

Welding is truly a manual kind of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a small number of online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Bogart GA area that can count toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly cover such topics as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to begin their education and training. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and confirm that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Choose the Best Welding Vocational Program Bogart GA

Selecting the ideal welder school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have covered in this article, there are several things that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are examining includes a lot of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train on. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in length and the kind of credential offered, so you will need to decide what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Every program provides unique possibilities for certification also. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to attend some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you select is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Bogart GA.