How to Select a Welding Training Program near Monroe Louisiana

Finding the right welding trade school near Monroe LA is an important first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more importantly, once you have fine tuned your alternatives, how do you pick the right one? Many prospective students start by checking out the schools that are nearest to their homes. Once they have located those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least costly one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial considerations when reviewing welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Degree and Certificate Training Programs

There are multiple alternatives available to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can receive a a certificate, a diploma or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced courses than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most common welding programs offered in the Monroe LA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are normally offered by trade and technical schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created primarily to develop 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 finish 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 prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welding school you select should prep you for any licensing examinations that you will need to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are several organizations that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Numerous Monroe LA employers not only expect a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a renowned organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder does. A few 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 certain kinds of welds
• Operate according to contract specifications

As formerly stated, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and knowledgeable welder. So just as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and verify that the welder tech school you select preps you for certification as needed.

How to Decide on a Welder Tech School

Once you have chosen the credential you want to obtain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welding trade and vocational schools in the Monroe LA area. That’s why it’s important to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As stated, although they are essential qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the school you decide on 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 need to evaluate before choosing a welding tech school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding trade school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two basic types of accreditation. The school may attain Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get an excellent education, the accreditation can also help in securing financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in Monroe LA 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.

Apprenticeship and Job Placement Programs. Numerous welder certificate or degree programs are provided in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools must have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can help students find employment and establish relationships within the Monroe LA welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welding school you choose has a higher completion rate. A low rate might mean that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. 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 a good reputation within the field, but also that it has the network of Monroe LA contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have narrowed down your selection of welding schools to two or three options, you should think out going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify 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 currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Monroe LA welding contractor if they can give you a few suggestions.

School Location. Although we previously briefly covered the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should cover. You should bear in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welder school you select needs to be within commuting distance of your Monroe LA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to relocation costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, most likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you subsequently will want to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is important for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to be overlooked in bigger classes and not obtain much personalized training. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can observe just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk with a couple of the instructors and ask what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Scheduling. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are looking at are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Monroe LA, verify that the schools you are considering provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Monroe LA?

Perhaps you live in the Monroe Louisiana 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 Classes

Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Even so, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Monroe LA area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills need to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that want to advance their expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Select the Ideal Welding Technical Program Monroe LA

Picking the best welder training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to launch your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to examine and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welder training program that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world perspective, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in length and the type of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each training program offers unique options for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Take the time to sit in on a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the end outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Monroe LA.