How to Choose a Welding Certification Program near Taneytown Maryland
Finding the right welding vocational school near Taneytown MD 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 significantly, once you have fine tuned your options, how do you select the best one? Most people start by reviewing the schools that are closest to their homes. When they have located those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary issues when examining welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns 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 wise to establish a list of qualifications that your chosen 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 Degree and Certificate Training
There are a number of 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 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. Following are short descriptions of the most common welding programs offered in the Taneytown MD.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and take about 1 year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned 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 2 years to finish and are most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more extensive education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.
A number of states and municipalities do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you choose should prepare you for any licensing exams that you will need to take in addition to supplying the suitable training to become a professional welder.
Welder Certification Alternatives
There are a number of institutions that offer welding certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Taneytown MD employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization like the American Welding Society (AWS). Different certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to
- Operate in compliance with specific codes
- Work with certain metal thicknesses
- Work with various kinds of welds
- Perform according to contract specifications
As earlier mentioned, various cities, states or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, many additionally require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an extremely skilled and experienced welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welding trade school you choose prepares you for certification if needed.
How to Pick a Welding Vocational School
As soon as you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to evaluate schools. As you can imagine, there are a large number of welding trade and technical schools in the Taneytown MD area. That’s why it’s important to decide up front what qualifications your selected school must have. We have previously discussed 2 important ones that most people consider first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifications, they are not the only ones that must be considered. After all, the school you pick is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new profession as a welder. So following are more factors you may want to consider before picking a welder trade school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder technical school you pick is accredited by either a regional or a national 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 a single program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So make sure that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged 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 can also assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in Taneytown MD for schools that are not accredited. Finally, for those states or municipalities that require licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Many welder diploma or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Various other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools must have partnerships with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can refer their students. Older schools may have a more substantial network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop associations within the Taneytown MD welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that start an academic program and finish it. It’s crucial that the welder program you pick has a high completion rate. A low rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the instructors, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the quality of training. A high job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of Taneytown MD contacts to help students obtain apprenticeships or employment after graduation.
Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have decreased your selection of welding schools to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are up-to-date. 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. Otherwise, ask a local Taneytown MD welding contractor if they can give you some suggestions.
School Location. Although we previously briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a few additional issues that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can move, the welding program you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Taneytown MD home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, in addition to moving costs there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welding diploma programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides 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 a region or state where you ultimately will wish to work.
Small 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 obtain much one-on-one training. Find out what the average class size is for the welding schools you are looking at. Inquire if you can attend a couple of classes so that you can witness just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk to some of the trainers and find out 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 present job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near Taneytown MD, verify that the schools you are looking at offer those options. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the school you pick offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes if you you miss any due to work, sickness or family circumstances.
Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Taneytown MD?
Perhaps you live in the Taneytown Maryland 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.
Taneytown, Maryland
Taneytown (/ˈtɔːnitaʊn/ TAW-nee-town) is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,728 at the 2010 census.[5] Taneytown was founded in 1754. Of the town, George Washington once wrote, "Tan-nee town is but a small place with only the Street through wch.(sic) the road passes, built on. The buildings are principally of wood." Taneytown has a history museum that displays the history of the town for visitors and citizens to see. The Bullfrog Road Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[6]
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 6,728 people, 2,434 households, and 1,813 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,213.2 inhabitants per square mile (854.5/km2). There were 2,554 housing units at an average density of 840.1 per square mile (324.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.3% White, 4.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.
There were 2,434 households of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.14.
Online Welder Training
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and therefore not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Taneytown MD area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses primarily deal with such subjects as reading blueprints, safety,, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice a basis to initiate their education and training. However, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle welding materials unless you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed online. These skills need to 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 expertise or perhaps obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and make sure that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Select the Ideal Welding Trade Program Taneytown MD
Selecting the right welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new trade. As we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welding school that you are assessing includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes need to be smaller in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction needs to offer a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will need to determine what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Each program provides different possibilities for certification as well. Probably the best means to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to sit in on some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the school you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and commitment, the final outcome will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Taneytown MD.
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