Training for a career in welding is sometimes available in high schools. Employers hiring individuals for entry-level welding positions may look at high-school welding technology classes as a basis to start from and provide additional on-the-job training specific to the duties required in the industry.
Many community colleges, technical institutions and the U.S. Armed Forces offer post-secondary classes and training in welding. Most employers prefer to hire individuals who have completed a formal training program specific to the welding industry. Classes in welding will include blueprint reading, shop math, mechanical drawing, computer programming and hands-on training. Some post-secondary welding programs will have students take classes in physics, chemistry and metallurgy.
Certifications are available in welding, welding inspection and robotic welding. Many schools offering courses in welding will provide the American Welding Society certification classes. Occasionally, employers will offer to pay for the certification or will provide their own internal certifications.
While courses in welding are available at most vocational schools, there are a few schools that stand out in the welding industry. These schools are touted as the best for preparing students to pass a welding certification test and gaining employment beyond what is considered "entry-level." These top-rated welding schools include the Tulsa Welding School, Hobart Institute of Technology and the Lincoln Welding Training Program.
Tulsa Welding School has two locations: one in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the other in Jacksonville, Florida. This school offers a structural welding tract, taking just over three months to complete, and a master welding tract which takes approximately seven months to complete.
The Hobart Institute of Technology offers welding tracts similar to that of the Tulsa Welding School, but also provides options for more industry-specific welding training that can be completed in a shorter amount of time.
The Lincoln Welding Training Program is considered one of the oldest welding training programs available in the United States. This school is unique in that it offers classes in motor sports welding. Students who desire to have a welding career in motor sports will appreciate the small class size and learning all aspects of welding in the motor-sports industry.