Category Archives: Missouri

Welding Schools Near Me | How to Become a Welder – Wentzville MO

How to Select a Welding Training Class near Wentzville Missouri

Wentzville MO welding school studentFinding the ideal welder trade school near Wentzville MO is an essential first step to launching your new career as a professional welder. But since there are a lot of schools to pick from, how do you determine which ones to consider? And more significantly, once you have fine tuned your choices, how do you select the best one? Most people begin by reviewing the schools that are nearest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within commuting distance, they are drawn toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are important concerns when evaluating welder technical schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before beginning your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s wise to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we delve into our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training

Wentzville MO welder working on pipingThere are several options available to obtain training as a welder in a technical or trade 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 degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also offered along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short summaries of the most prevalent welding programs available in the Wentzville MO.

  • Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and require about 1 year to complete. 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 working 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 extensive education than the diploma or certificate while still supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to check for your location of potential employment. As required, the welding school you select should ready you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to furnishing the appropriate training to become a qualified welder.

Welding Certification Alternatives

Wentzville MO welder working on poleThere are multiple organizations that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many Wentzville MO employers not only require a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a respected organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are available based upon the type of work that the welder performs. Some of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to

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

As already mentioned, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for different types of work. Certification is also a way to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So just as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and make certain that the welder trade school you choose preps you for certification as needed.

How to Pick a Welder Tech Program

Wentzville MO welder working on carWhen you have decided on the credential you want to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to compare schools. As you can imagine, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Wentzville MO area. That’s why it’s essential to establish in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously discussed a couple of important ones that many people look at first, which are location and the cost of tuition. As stated, although they are very important qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the program you select is going to provide the instruction that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may want to consider before picking a welding vocational school.

Accreditation. It’s essential that the welder trade school you decide on is accredited by either a regional or a national organization. There are two basic kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for example Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you choose is accredited, not just the school itself. Also, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting organization, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you obtain a superior education, the accreditation might also assist in acquiring financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Wentzville MO 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 Placement and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welding diploma or degree programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will assist in placing you in an apprenticeship or a job upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing 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. More established 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 associations within the Wentzville MO welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students that begin an academic program and finish it. It’s essential that the welder program you pick has a higher completion rate. A lower rate may signify that the students who joined the program were dissatisfied with the training, the instructors, or the facilities, and quit. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only verify that the program has a good reputation within the industry, but additionally that it has the network of Wentzville MO contacts to help students obtain employment or apprenticeships after graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welder programs to 2 or 3 options, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be trained on are modern. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are uncertain what to look for, and are already in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local Wentzville MO welding professional if they can give you some tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we should cover. You should keep in mind that unless you can relocate, the welding program you pick needs to be within commuting distance of your Wentzville MO home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially true for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Furthermore, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, more than 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 wish to work.

Small Classes. Personalized training is essential for a hands-on trade such as welding. It’s possible to get lost in bigger classes and not get much individualized training. Find out what the typical class size is for the welder programs you are reviewing. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can experience just how much personal attention the students are getting. While there, speak with a few of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, talk to some of the trainers and ask what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.

Flexible Class Scheduling. Some people learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the programs you are reviewing are convenient enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Wentzville MO, confirm that the schools you are assessing provide those options. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you decide on offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes if you you miss any because of work, sickness or family responsibilities.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Wentzville MO?

Perhaps you live in the Wentzville Missouri 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.

Wentzville, Missouri

Wentzville is a suburb of St. Louis that is located in western St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 29,070.[5] 2017 population estimates have placed the city's population at 39,414, making it the 16th largest city in Missouri. Wentzville was the fastest growing city in Missouri between 2000 and 2010, and population estimates since 2010 indicate that Wentzville is likely to continue as the state's fastest growing city for a second consecutive decade.[6][7][8] As the site of the county fairgrounds, Wentzville hosts the annual St. Gerard County Parade (also known as the "Black Parade"), St. Lazlo Wentz Festival and the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire.

Wentzville was laid out in 1855.[9] The community has the name of the chief engineer of the Northern Missouri Railroad Erasmus Livingston Wentz.[10] A post office called Wentzville has been in operation since 1859.[11]

[1] Wentzville is the location of the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the United States. It began as a tree of lights to help raise money in 1967 to send gifts to active servicemen, but later evolved by 1984 to a carved eagle atop a pillar of granite. It has become a regular stop in the national "Run for the Wall" trip for veterans.

Online Welder Courses

pipe welder at work in Wentzville MOWelding is truly a manual type of trade, and therefore not very compatible with online training. Having said that, there are a few online welding courses offered by various community colleges and technical schools in the greater Wentzville MO area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly cover such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help provide a novice 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 unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be performed 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 knowledge or perhaps earn a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely careful and make sure that the greater part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of setting.

Find the Right Welding Tech Program Wentzville MO

Picking the right welding training program will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new profession. As we have discussed in this article, there are many things that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welder training 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 own welding machine to train on. 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 type of credential offered, so you will need to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best satisfy your needs. Every training program offers different options for certification as well. Perhaps the best approach to research your final list of schools is to go to each campus and talk with the students and instructors. Invest some time to monitor a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the proper training, effort and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in Wentzville MO.

 

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