How to Select a Welding Degree Program near York Maine

Selecting the right welding trade school near York ME is an essential first step to beginning your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to select from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the best one? A number of prospective students begin by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they are drawn toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important concerns when reviewing welding technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s prudent to establish a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Training Courses

There are multiple options to receive 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 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 prevalent welding programs offered in the York ME.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are usually made available by trade and technical schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, created largely to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for working welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of future employment. As required, the welder school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to pass in addition to providing the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Alternatives

There are multiple institutions that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many York ME employers not only require 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 offered based on the kind of work that the welder does. Some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

• Operate in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specific metal thicknesses
• Work with specific kinds of welds
• Perform in compliance with contract specifications

As already mentioned, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, many also require certification for different kinds of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and experienced welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your location and confirm that the welder vocational school you decide on preps you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welder Trade School

Once you have chosen the credential you would like to obtain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to assess schools. As you probably know, there are a large number of welder vocational and trade schools in the York ME area. That’s why it’s necessary to decide in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously covered a couple of important ones that many people look at 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 school you select is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to consider before choosing a welding technical school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you select is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are 2 basic types 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 instance Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, the accreditation might also help in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are in many cases unavailable in York ME 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. A large number of welder diploma or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship 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 relationships with local unions and other metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can rely upon for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and establish relationships within the York ME welding community.

Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an instructional program and finish it. It’s important that the welder school you pick has a high completion rate. A lower rate might signify that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also a good indicator of the quality of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of York ME employer relationships to help students secure apprenticeships or employment after graduation.

Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your choice of welding programs to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Make sure that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are modern. Specifically, the training equipment should be comparable to what you will be using on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local York ME welding contractor if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Although we previously briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a few additional points that we need to address. You should remember that unless you have the ability to move, the welder school you select must be within commuting distance of your York ME home. If you do decide to enroll in 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 welding degree programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, 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 want to work.

Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to be lost in larger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can observe how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk with some of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Convenient Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their current job. Verify that the class schedules for the programs you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near York ME, verify that the schools you are assessing provide those choices. If you can only enroll part-time, make sure that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any because of illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near York ME?

Perhaps you live in the York Maine 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 truly a manual kind of vocation, and for that reason not very compatible with online training. However, there are a small number of online welding courses offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater York ME area that may count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a basis to start their education and training. However, the most significant point is that you can’t learn how to weld or work with 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 better suited for seasoned welders that desire to advance their expertise or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Pick the Ideal Welding Trade Program York ME

Selecting the best welding training program will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new trade. As we have addressed in this article, there are several factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are reviewing. It’s a must that any welding training program that you are evaluating includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be smaller in size and every student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in length and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every training program provides different possibilities for certification also. Perhaps The ideal way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and speak with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some 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 right training, hard work and commitment, the end result will be a new trade as a professional welder in York ME.