Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Witten SD

How to Enroll In a Welder Certificate Program near Witten South Dakota

Witten SD welding school studentEnrolling in the right welder vocational school near Witten SD is an essential first step to beginning your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to choose from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the right one? Many people start by checking out the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within commuting distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important considerations when examining welding vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other concerns include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before initiating your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s wise to establish 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.

Welding Degree and Certificate Training Courses

Witten SD welder working on pipingThere are multiple options to get training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate 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 in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief descriptions of the most prevalent welding programs offered in the Witten SD.

  • Diploma and Certificate Programs are usually offered by technical and trade schools and require about a year to finish. They are more hands-on training in scope, fashioned mainly to develop welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or additional skills for experienced welders.
  • Associate Degree Programs will take two years to finish and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes 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 requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you pick should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the suitable training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Options

Witten SD welder working on poleThere are various organizations that provide welder certifications, which assess the skill level and knowledge of those applying. Many Witten SD employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a respected agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder does. Just some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

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

As already stated, many states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those requiring licensing, a number additionally require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make sure that the welding tech school you choose preps you for certification if needed.

How to Choose a Welder Technical Program

Witten SD welder working on carAfter you have chosen the credential you would like to attain, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to assess schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Witten SD area. That’s why it’s important to establish up front what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have previously discussed a couple of significant ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that must be looked at. After all, the program you pick is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may want to evaluate before selecting a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national agency. There are two standard 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 certain that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, such as the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a superior education, the accreditation might also help in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are in many cases not available in Witten SD for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welder diploma or degree programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. These schools should have partnerships with local unions and other 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 placements. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Witten SD welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that enroll in an educational program and finish it. It’s important that the welder program you pick has a high completion rate. A lower rate may indicate that the students who were in the program were unhappy 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 school has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Witten SD employer relationships to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Equipment and Facilities. After you have decreased your selection of welding schools to two or three options, you should think out visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify 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 in the field. 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 Witten SD welding professional if they can give you some suggestions.

School Location. Although we already briefly discussed the importance of location, there are a few additional points that we should address. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welding school you choose must be within commuting distance of your Witten SD home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly the case for welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than likely their placements are within the school’s local community. So the location of the school needs to be in an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in larger classes and not get much one-on-one instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welder schools you are reviewing. Ask if you can sit in on some classes so that you can experience how much individual attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with several of the students and get their opinions. Also, talk with some of the teachers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they have earned.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new trade while still employed at their current job. Confirm 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 Witten SD, make sure that the schools you are assessing offer those alternatives. If you can only enroll on a part-time basis, make certain that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Witten SD?

Perhaps you live in the Witten South Dakota 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.

Witten Women's Protest

The Witten Women's Protest was against a specific policy of the Nazi regime. The protest occurred on October 11, 1943 and achieved the aims of the protesters, backed by a ruling by Hitler in January 1944. After being evacuated from the city of Witten due to the dangers of Allied bombing raids, women and children were moved to the countryside in Baden, away from their husbands. Despite Nazi regulations being a driving force, many women returned to Witten and their homes. By traveling back and forth between their homes and evacuation sites, they were an additional burden on already over-stressed, wartime transportation systems. In response, the Nazi Party Gauleiter (regional Party Leader) of Westphalia South, Albert Hoffmann, declared that women from his region would not receive their food ration cards except in Baden or other designated evacuation sites. This led to the protest of what the SD secret police estimated to be 300 women in the Witten which shows how the SD were documenting what was occurring. The Witten Women's Protest and the Nazi appeasement of the protesters prompted Goebbels to worry on November 2, 1943 that the regime was losing power by giving in repeatedly to Germans gathered on the streets in dissent. The protest weighed decisively on Hitler's decision in January 1944, that no Nazi official could manipulate ration card distribution as means of enforcing evacuation regulations.

In a November 1943 report on current events and their effect on women’s mood, the Nazi secret police (security service, SD) made a detailed report to the Third Reich’s highest authorities, stating that on 11 Oct. 1943 about 300 women had demonstrated in Witten in order to take a public position against official measures.[Emphasis in the original].[1] According to the SS, the women gathered on Adolf Hitler Square in the Ruhr-area city of Witten to protest against an official decision by the regional party leader (Gauleiter) to withhold their food ration cards until they moved from their homes in the city to evacuation sites in the Baden countryside. By 1943, as British and American bombing raids continued to increase in intensity, Hitler wished to evacuate all civilians from targeted cities not essential to the war production industries. At the same time he insisted that civilians must volunteer for evacuations rather than being forced into them. Within these strictures, Gauleiters were free to develop a range of tactics for evacuating Germans from targeted cities and preventing them from returning home. In Witten the women protested the regional party leader’s decision to deny ration cards to evacuees who returned to their homes in cities subject to bombing raids. According to the SD, demonstrations like the one at Witten had taken place in front of municipal food offices in nearby Hamm, Lünen and Bochum in the same period.

The Witten protest appears to have been the fulcrum event that forced a conclusion, decided by Hitler in January 1944, that Gauleiters must not withhold ration cards as a means to force evacuees to remain in their assigned quarters away from home. The Führer then maintained this position at least through October 1944, as the German situation both at home and in the war became increasingly calamitous. Propaganda Minister and Hitler confidant Joseph Goebbels mused in his diary on November 2, 1943, that repeated concessions to protesters could cost the regime authority in the eyes of the German people.

Online Welding Degree and Certificate Programs

pipe welder at work in Witten SDWelding is very much a manual type of profession, and therefore not extremely suitable for training online. Having said that, there are a few online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and vocational schools in the greater Witten SD area that may be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These courses mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a beginner a foundation to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Clearly that can’t be performed online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus setting or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is better suited for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly earn a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely careful and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Pick the Ideal Welding Tech School Witten SD

Selecting the ideal welder school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to begin 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 considerable amount of hands-on training. Classes need to be small in size and each student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom education should provide a real-world context, and the training program should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to decide what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Every program provides unique options for certification also. Perhaps the best way to research your final list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the school you decide on is the right one for you. With the right training, hard work and commitment, the final result will be a new occupation as a professional welder in Witten SD.

 

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