How to Choose a Welding Training Class near Wakefield Virginia

Selecting the ideal welding school near Wakefield VA is an essential first step to starting 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 importantly, once you have narrowed down your alternatives, how do you pick the best one? A number of people begin by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have located those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are necessary concerns when evaluating welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a trade school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welder Certificate and Degree Training Classes

There are multiple options available to receive training as a welder in a trade or technical school. You can earn a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are available in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief summaries of the most common welding programs available in the Wakefield VA.

• Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and take about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created largely to teach welding skills. They can furnish a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or specialized skills for experienced welders.
• Associate Degree Programs will take 2 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 diploma or certificate while still furnishing the foundation that readies students to enter the workforce.

Many municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, therefore be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. If required, the welding school you pick should prep you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to providing the appropriate training to become a professional welder.

Welding Certification Options

There are several organizations that offer welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. A large number of Wakefield VA employers not only demand a degree or certificate from an accredited welding school, but also certification from a highly regarded organization such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the type of work that the welder performs. Just some 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 specific types of welds
• Operate based on contract specifications

As already mentioned, some cities, states or local municipalities have licensing mandates for welders. Of those calling for licensing, many also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a means to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and experienced welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and confirm that the welding technical school you select readies you for certification as needed.

How to Decide on a Welding Tech School

When you have decided on the credential you would like to earn, a certificate, diploma or degree, you can begin to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welder vocational and trade schools in the Wakefield VA area. That’s why it’s essential to determine in advance what qualifications your school of choice must have. We have previously covered 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 need to be looked at. After all, the program you choose is going to furnish the education that will be the foundation of your new vocation as a welder. So following are some additional factors you may want to consider before choosing a welder tech school.

Accreditation. It’s very important that the welding technical school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional 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 a single program the school offers, such as Welding Technology. So make sure 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, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you get a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in getting financial assistance or student loans, which are often unavailable in Wakefield VA for schools that are not accredited. Also, for those states or municipalities that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of welder degree or diploma programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship after graduation. Ask if the schools you are reviewing assist 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 utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Wakefield VA welding community.

Completion and Job Placement Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that start an educational program and complete it. It’s essential that the welder program you select has a high completion rate. A reduced rate might mean that the students who were in the program were dissatisfied with the instruction, the teachers, 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 affirm that the program has an excellent reputation within the industry, but also that it has the network of Wakefield VA employer relationships to assist students secure apprenticeships or employment upon graduation.

Modern Equipment and Facilities. After you have limited your selection of welder programs to two or three possibilities, you should consider visiting the campuses to look over their facilities. Confirm that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be taught on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be using on the job. If you are not sure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, ask the master welder you are working under for guidance. If not, ask a local Wakefield VA welding contractor if they can give you a few tips.

School Location. Although we already briefly covered the significance of location, there are a couple of additional issues that we should deal with. You should remember that unless you can relocate, the welder school you choose needs to be within driving distance of your Wakefield VA home. If you do opt to attend an out-of-state school, apart from relocation costs there might be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welding certificate programs offered by community colleges. Additionally, if the school provides a job placement or apprenticeship program, often their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in a region or state where you ultimately will want to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized instruction is important for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get overlooked in larger classes and not receive much personalized instruction. Find out what the average class size is for the welding schools you are reviewing. Inquire if you can attend some classes so that you can observe how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with several of the students and get their feedback. Similarly, chat with some of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Convenient Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still working at their current job. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are flexible enough to meet your needs. If you can only attend classes at night or on weekends near Wakefield VA, verify that the schools you are assessing provide those options. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family circumstances.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Wakefield VA?

Perhaps you live in the Wakefield Virginia 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 Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

Welding is very much a manual kind of profession, and consequently not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are some online welding programs offered by certain community colleges and trade schools in the greater Wakefield VA area that can be credited toward a degree or certificate program. These classes mainly deal with such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a beginner a basis to initiate their education and training. Nevertheless, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or handle 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 more appropriate for experienced welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should find an online welding certificate or degree program, be very careful and make sure that the larger part of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Select the Best Welding Tech School Wakefield VA

Choosing the right welder school will probably be the most important decision you will make to begin your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of factors that you will need to evaluate and compare between the schools you are considering. It’s a necessity that any welder training that you are considering includes a lot of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and every student should have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom education should offer a real-world perspective, and the training program should be current and conform with industry standards. Courses differ in duration and the kind of credential provided, so you will have to determine what length of program and degree or certificate will best serve your needs. Each program offers different possibilities for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal means to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the teachers and students. Invest some time to sit in on a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the program you choose is the best one for you. With the right training, effort and dedication, the end result will be a new career as a professional welder in Wakefield VA.