How to Find the Right Welding Training Program near Silver Lake Kansas

Finding the ideal welding technical school near Silver Lake KS is an important first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? Many prospective students begin by looking at the schools that are closest to their residences. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and tuition cost are necessary considerations when evaluating welder trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation 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 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 a number of options available to get training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can obtain 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 offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short explanations of the most common welding programs available in the Silver Lake KS.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally made available by technical and trade schools and take about one year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned largely to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced 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 diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

A number of municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, therefore don’t forget to find out for your location of future employment. As required, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to furnishing the proper training to become a professional welder.

Welder Certification Choices

There are a number of organizations that offer welding certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Numerous Silver Lake KS employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available 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 specific kinds of welds
• Perform in compliance with contract specifications

As earlier stated, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, some additionally require certification for different types 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 certain that the welding vocational school you choose preps you for certification as needed.

How to Choose a Welder Tech School

After you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welding vocational and trade schools in the Silver Lake KS area. That’s why it’s necessary to establish in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that many people consider first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to consider before choosing a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder vocational school you choose is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are 2 basic kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, for example Welding Technology. So verify that the program you pick 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). In addition to helping ensure that you obtain an excellent education, the accreditation may also help in getting financial aid or student loans, which are often unavailable in Silver Lake KS for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welding training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Numerous welding degree or certificate programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing help 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 place their students. More established schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for placements. These programs can help students find employment and establish associations within the Silver Lake KS welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welder school you choose has a higher completion rate. A reduced rate may indicate that the students who joined 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 caliber of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Silver Lake KS employer relationships to help students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have limited your selection of welder schools 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 instructed on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Silver Lake KS welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Even though we previously briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to deal with. You should bear in mind that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welding program you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Silver Lake KS home. If you do decide to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, most likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in a region or state where you subsequently will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s possible to be lost in bigger classes and not obtain much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Inquire if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can see how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Also, talk with some of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Verify 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 Silver Lake KS, confirm that the schools you are reviewing provide those choices. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Silver Lake KS?

Perhaps you live in the Silver Lake Kansas 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 Welding Classes

Welding is truly a manual type of trade, and therefore not very suitable for training online. However, there are some online welding courses offered by specific community colleges and technical schools in the greater Silver Lake KS area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly cover such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to begin their training and education. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Naturally that can’t be performed online. These skills must be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for seasoned welders that want to advance their knowledge or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding degree or certificate program, be very cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Best Welding Tech School Silver Lake KS

Choosing the ideal welding school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin your new profession. As we have covered in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare among the schools you are considering. It’s a must that any welding school that you are assessing includes a considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching needs to provide 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 need to decide what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Every training program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk 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 school you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Silver Lake KS.