How to Choose a Welding Technical School near Wirtz Virginia

Enrolling in the ideal welder trade school near Wirtz VA is an essential first step to starting 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 notably, once you have narrowed down your choices, how do you select the right one? A number of prospective students start by looking at the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have found those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the cheapest one. Yes, location and tuition cost are crucial concerns when evaluating welding trade schools, but they are not the only ones. Other factors include such things as accreditation, reputation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to create a list of qualifications that your selected school must have. But before we examine our due diligence checklist, let’s talk a little bit about how to become a welder.

Welding Certificate and Degree Programs

There are multiple options to obtain training as a welder in a trade or vocational school. You can obtain a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Engineering or Welding Technology, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Below are brief explanations of the most typical welding programs offered in the Wirtz VA.

• Diploma and Certificate Programs are generally offered by trade and technical schools and take about 1 year to complete. They are more hands-on training in nature, created 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 most often offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology furnishes a more well-rounded education than the certificate or diploma while still furnishing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.

Some municipalities and states do have licensing prerequisites for welders, so be sure to find out for your location of potential employment. As needed, the welding school you select should ready you for any licensing exams that you will have to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a qualified welder.

Welder Certification Options

There are a number of organizations that offer welder certifications, which test the skill level and knowledge of those applying. A large number of Wirtz VA employers not only expect a degree or certificate from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency such as the American Welding Society (AWS). A wide range of certifications are available based on the type of work that the welder performs. Just some of the things that certification can attest to are the welder’s ability to

• Work in compliance with specific codes
• Work with specific metal thicknesses
• Work with certain types of welds
• Perform based on contract specifications

As formerly stated, various states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those mandating licensing, some also require certification for various types of work. Certification is also a means to demonstrate to employers that you are a highly skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, check the requirements for your location and verify that the welding tech school you select preps you for certification if needed.

How to Pick a Welding Vocational Program

As soon as you have chosen the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can start to evaluate schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welding trade and technical schools in the Wirtz VA area. That’s why it’s necessary to determine in advance what qualifications your selected school must have. We have already discussed 2 significant ones that most people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that need to be looked at. After all, the program you select is going to provide the education that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you may need to consider before picking a welder technical school.

Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welding tech school you choose is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two standard types of accreditation. The school may receive Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on a specific program the school has, for instance Welding Technology. So make certain that the program you pick is accredited, not just the school itself. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). Besides helping ensure that you get a quality education, the accreditation might also assist in obtaining financial aid or student loans, which are often not available in Wirtz VA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited also.

Apprenticeship and Job Assistance Programs. Numerous welder degree or certificate programs are offered in conjunction with an apprenticeship program. Other schools will assist in placing you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Find out if the schools you are looking at help in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools must 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 referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the Wirtz 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 important that the welding program you choose has a high completion rate. A low rate may indicate that the students who were 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 Wirtz VA contacts to assist students obtain employment or apprenticeships upon graduation.

Up-to-date Facilities and Equipment. Once you have limited your selection of welder schools to 2 or 3 possibilities, you should consider going to the campuses to look over their facilities. Verify that both the equipment and the facilities that you will be instructed on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be comparable 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 Wirtz VA welding professional if they can give you some pointers.

School Location. Even though we already briefly covered the relevance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to deal with. You should remember that unless you have the ability to relocate, the welder program you select must be within driving distance of your Wirtz VA home. If you do choose to attend an out-of-state school, besides relocation expenses there may be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is particularly true for welder certificate programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school provides an apprenticeship or job placement program, most likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you subsequently will want to work.

Smaller Classes. Individualized training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in bigger classes and not receive much personalized instruction. Ask what the usual class size is for the welding programs you are considering. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of classes so that you can witness just how much individual attention the students are getting. While there, speak with some of the students and get their evaluations. Also, chat with a few of the teachers and find out what their welding experience has been and what credentials and certifications they hold.

Flexible Class Schedules. Lots of folks learn a new profession while still employed at their current job. Make sure that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to meet your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evenings or on weekends near Wirtz VA, make certain that the schools you are reviewing offer those alternatives. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, check to see what the protocol is to make up classes should you miss any due to illness, work or family emergencies.

Will You Be Attending Welding School Near Wirtz VA?

Perhaps you live in the Wirtz 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 Welder Schools

Welding is truly a hands-on type of profession, and therefore not very compatible with training online. Even so, there are some online welding classes offered by certain community colleges and technical schools in the greater Wirtz VA area that can count toward a certificate or degree program. These courses primarily cover such subjects as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to initiate their training and education. However, the most critical point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials unless you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished 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 possibly obtain a more advanced degree. So if you should discover an online welding degree or certificate program, be extremely cautious and confirm that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.

Find the Best Welding Trade School Wirtz VA

Selecting the ideal welding training program will probably be the most critical 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 examine and compare among the programs you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any welding training program that you are considering includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their own welding machine to train with. Classroom instruction should offer a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Courses vary in duration and the kind of credential offered, so you will have to determine what length of program and credential will best serve your needs. Every training program offers unique options for certification as well. Perhaps The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and speak with the teachers and students. Invest some time to attend a few classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you choose is the ideal one for you. With the proper training, hard work and dedication, the final outcome will be a new trade as a professional welder in Wirtz VA.