Category: Welding
As an individual who is driven to find the career that is right for them, you know that postsecondary training is often required to move ahead in the workforce and become the type of professional you want to be. However, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which specific path forward is right for you.
If you are interested in the trades, then pursuing welding training is likely on your radar. This is a career that many professionals with different traits and backgrounds find to be both engaging and lucrative. That being said, there are certain things that indicate that you could be a particularly good fit for welding work. Keep reading to find out whether attending a trade school welding program is the right choice for you.
1. If You Are Good with Your Hands, Welding Training May Be Beneficial
Welding is a very meticulous practice, and professional welders need to be able to handle hazardous tools and delicate materials carefully in order to do their work successfully. If you have a particularly steady hand, have always had a knack for assembling objects, or have excellent hand-eye coordination, then welding collegemay be the perfect place for you to put these skills to good use.
2. Welding Training is a Good Fit for Natural Problem Solvers
Welders perform many types of work. While they often help build and assemble pieces, they can also put their skills toward different types of repair work that involve metal components. A successful welder knows how to differentiate between different kinds of jobs, and how best to apply their skills to meet their client’s needs – they are problem solvers. If you have a talent for finding creative solutions to various problems, or if you want to develop this skill, then welding training may be the right fit for you.
Welding college is a great place to develop your practical problem solving skills
3. If You Are Mechanically Inclined, Welding College Could Be for You
In order to do their work effectively, welders often have to draw on mechanical knowledge and insight. Understanding how an object or piece of machinery functions is essential before you can improve or repair it using welding techniques. Without this understanding, you may end up introducing problems or mistakes that were not there before. With that in mind, welder technician training could be perfect for you if you have a keen interest in mechanics, and an eye for diagnosing and solving technical problems.
4. You Want to Learn to Read Blueprints and Specifications
Although welding is a very practical profession, not all of it is hands-on. Welders must also be able to carefully read, understand, and follow technical blueprints and specifications. This process requires careful attention to detail, and the diligence to follow very specific instructions. If this type of detail-oriented, carefully planned work appeals to you, then you may find welding to be a good outlet for your interests and skills.
Attention to detail will make it simple to adhere to welding blueprints
5. You Are Motivated to Achieve Career Success Through Welding Training
Finally, welding college is a place that allows students to develop into qualified professionals at a fast pace. Not only do you learn the technical skills required to become a professional welder, but you are also connected with vital career opportunities.
For instance, the Career Services department at NATS helps students develop cover letters and resumes, learn proper job interview techniques, and utilize different resources to locate prospective employers in their industry. With this type of comprehensive support, welding college is the perfect place for up-and-coming professionals who are motivated to work hard toward career success.
Do you want to know more about what welding training entails?
Contact NATS to learn about what we offer in our program.
At top trade schools, an education in welding can quickly prepare you for gainful employment in an interesting new career. The prospect of such a fast entry to a new beginning is exciting, but for some students, the question of how best to manage tuition fees might put a little damper on things.
Fortunately, there are several financing options that can make paying for tuition much easier. Taking the time to explore some of the options that are out there can be a great way to simplify your financial situation ahead of starting your welding training, and leave you ready to focus on learning skills for your new career.
Curious about what kinds of opportunities exist for financial aid in Ontario? Here are a few avenues to look into.
OSAP Can be a Great Help for Paying for Welding College
If you want financial assistance paying for school, one of the best financing programs to look into should be the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Offered by the Ontario government, the program offers funding in the form of loans, which a student starts repaying after they complete their education, and grants, which do not need to be repaid.
Applicants are automatically considered for both kinds of funding, and it is possible to decline what you are offered if you don’t want it. Whatever form of funding you receive, it can be applied toward tuition, books and supplies, student fees, living expenses, and childcare.
You will need to attend an OSAP-approved school in order to be eligible for this type of financial benefit, but for those students who do attend an approved school, the application process is painless. If you’re a Canadian citizen, resident, or protected person and reside in Ontario, be sure to apply to this program—you have nothing to lose.
Apply to OSAP and see what kind of tuition support the program might send your way
Consider Getting a Line of Credit to Pay for Welding Technician Training
Student lines of credit are another type of financial aid that you may want to consider exploring. These are arrangements that can be made with a regular bank allowing students to borrow an amount of money up to a predetermined maximum, with the funds to be put toward school and living expenses.
The amount of money available through student lines of credit tends to be in the thousands of dollars per year, meaning this type of option can be a convenient way to help you focus on your education without needing to work as many hours on the side.
What’s more, interest rates are generally low for student LOCs, which means repayment shouldn’t be too difficult once you finish school and become a production welder. The median salary for professionals working in welding careers is about $23 an hour, which can provide quite a comfortable living, and allow you to repay any funds you have had to borrow during your studies relatively quickly.
Some Welding Colleges Offer Flexible Payment Plans for Tuition
If you’re not keen to take on loans or open a line of credit, you might still be able to get a bit of financial leeway if you attend a school that offers flexible tuition payment options. Choosing to attend welding college at North American Trade Schools, for instance, could allow you to split your tuition fee up into interest-free monthly payments while you are a student.
Some schools will let you split your welding training tuition into smaller payments
This can be the perfect solution for anyone who wants to set out on a rewarding career path, but isn’t sure they can manage getting all their tuition money together at once. With welding training lasting just under a year, it won’t be long before the monthly payments will end and you will be able to enjoy a great new salary as you start your welding career.
Are you ready to begin your welding technician training?
Contact North American Trade Schools to learn more about getting started!
Whether you’re transitioning from a completely different field or starting your very first career out of high school, becoming a welder will open up a world of opportunities.
Not only does a career in the trades allow you to do something you enjoy working with your hands, it also provides opportunities for advancement, an excellent salary, and flexibility to choose the direction of your career.
If you’re interested in becoming a welder, read on to learn why it has never been a better time to begin working towards your career goals.
Demand for Welders Across Canada is Growing
As the previous generation of welders retire and Canada’s economy sees improvement, skilled and experienced trade workers, including welders, are increasingly in demand. The industry needs excited, hard-working and talented young professionals to fill job openings and contribute to many of Canada’s growing sectors.
In fact, the Government of Canada predicts 30,800 new welding-related careers to become available by 2024, and only 30,300 job seekers to enter the market. This means that there will be more welding positions available than workers, which is great news for anyone looking to begin their career.
Top Welding Technician Colleges Are Accepting New Students All the Time
In order to begin your career as a welder, you’ll need to take welding courses, which will teach you about proper safety precautions, welding techniques, and more. In addition, by completing a training program, you‘ll earn an employer-recognized CWB Certificate, so you can join the ranks of other welders in the Canadian Welding Bureau.
The good news is that trades schools like NATS offer continuous rolling start dates, which means you can get started working towards your future career as soon as possible.
NATS offers rolling start dates, so students can begin training for your career right away
Graduates of Welding Courses Can Look Forward to a Stable, Lucrative Career
Welding careers can offer lucrative salaries, especially as you move up the ranks, as well as plenty of opportunities for growth and development. If you have big goals for your career, it’s best to get moving right away. Enrolling in a welding program will allow you to get the training you need quickly and efficiently, so you can break into the industry and start gaining the experience to work towards advancing in your career.
Welders Can Work in a Variety of Interesting Industries
Another fantastic reason to become a welder is the wealth of opportunities available to you upon graduation. Not only can you continue to hone your skills to specialize in different areas of welding, you can also work in many different dynamic industries.
In Canada, oil and gas is just one common sector you could work in. However, you could also work in transportation, the auto industry, manufacturing, or construction, to name just a few of the diverse industries that need trained welding professionals.
Welders can work in a variety of interesting industries and workplace environments
Ready to take the next step towards enrolling at a welding technician college?
Contact North American Trades Schools for more information about our programs!
Use These Secret Habits of Highly Successful Students to Ace Your Welding Courses
August 08, 2017
Welding careers offer high wages, interesting work and great employment opportunity over the coming years, with approximately 30,000 job openings projected to arise in the sector across Canada by 2024. If you like the idea of pursuing this kind of hands-on career, enrolling in welding courses is a great way to prepare yourself.
While learning a difficult trade like welding can be challenging, with the right approach, acing your course material during welding training is very much possible. Just by following some of the habits of highly successful students, you can improve your odds of getting great results while at school.
Here are a few of the good habits you should consider getting into while enrolled in a welding training program.
Focus on One Thing at a Time While at Welding School
Welders know that when working with hot and electrified welding tools, it’s important to stay focused on safely completing a single task before moving on to another. A similar level of focus is important for succeeding at welding school.
Highly successful students realize that distractions prevent them from learning and remembering as well as they can, so they avoid dividing their attention as much as possible. If you want to succeed, you should too. Keep your phone in your pocket, pay attention during classes, and try to study in a quiet space, away from the TV and other sources of entertainment. Making these efforts to stay focused on course material can help you retain a lot more information and get better results.
Avoiding distractions is a valuable habit to develop during welding training
Highly Successful Students Make Personal Schedules
How do highly successful students balance their studies with other commitments, like being with family or working? They make a habit of scheduling their time every day. Applying this same habit to your own life can help you find success, too.
Try breaking each day up into hour-long blocks of time, and schedule your various commitments within those blocks (be sure to leave yourself time to relax, too!). This can help you keep track of everything you need to do, and gives you deadlines that can be useful for motivating you to get things done.
One great way to give yourself a scheduling advantage: Enroll at a school that offers flexible class times. For example, North American Trade Schools (NATS) offers classes both during the day and the evening, making it easier to find a course schedule that works for you.
For Exceptional Results at Welding School, Ask for Help!
Asking for help doesn’t come naturally to everyone. When experts are around and you could use some advice, though, taking a couple of seconds to ask for assistance can be a great way to not only solve your problem, but solve it quickly. This can free up your time to do more work, or to spend more time on a different challenge. Successful students usually aren’t afraid to ask for help, and neither should you be.
Welding courses are typically based primarily on doing hands-on work. That’s why it’s best to ensure you enroll in a program that is taught by experienced welding professionals, like the one offered by NATS. The instructors’ welding careers have given them expert insight into the tools, techniques, and theory behind welding, and they will be happy to share what they’ve learned to help you find success.
Ask the expert welding instructors at North American Trade Schools for help when you need it
Do you want to prepare for an exciting and rewarding new career?
Contact North American Trade Schools to learn about our welding technician training!
Keith is a Welding instructor at the London campus of North American Trade Schools. In this video, he talks about the welding program and also the welding industry and profession.
Transcript
“A Welder is a person who is trained to weld together metals and piping using arc welding and brazing.
Welders install maintain and repair structural and piping systems in every environment.
Welders are people who are good with their hands, problem solvers, mechanically inclined and they learn how to read blueprints and specifications.
To become a good welder, you need to enroll in a certified program like the one at North American Trade Schools.
Welders need to be certified with the CWB (Canadian Welding Buearu) and the TSSA (Technical Standards & Safety Authority).
The demand for certified welders in Canada is projected to increase annually for the foreseeable future.”
Katelynn B. is a Welding student at the London campus of North American Trade Schools. In her review, she talks about her experience at NATS, her instructors and why she decided to attend the school to study to become a Welder.
Transcript
“I’m Katelynn B. and I’m taking Welding Technology. Before coming to NATS I was laid off from a pig farm actually, and I decided, you know, now’s the time let’s go do this, let’s further my career, let’s pick a trade, let’s get into the business.
I chose NATS for its facility, yeah it has a very upbeat atmosphere. What I like the best about my instructors is they’re very hands on and they have an incredible amount of knowledge. What I enjoy most about campus is it’s central location. Something that I learned at NATS that I enjoyed most was blue printing.
Blue printing is very important because the fabrication process, putting things together, it shows specifications on how it’s meant to be put together and that was something that is very essential in our field. I see myself in five years being a Millwright I found it very easy to make friends on campus because of the atmosphere, it’s very laid back.
My family is very excited that I’m attending NATS to further my career and further my knowledge. To anybody that’s undecided about coming to NATS, come take a tour and see what it’s all about.”
What is Welding? What is a welder?
Welding is fabrication process to join materials such as metals together by fusing them. The career term for individuals in this occupation is a welder. A welder is a skilled tradesman that completes the entire process of fusing the materials together. The welding process is complex with a number of techniques, equipment, tools and methods to complete the process. There are also a number of welding types such as TIG welding, MIG welding, GAS welding and ARC welding.
Welders wear protective equipment such as a protective mask, gloves, heavy jackets and breathing equipment. Welders must have good coordination skills, eyesight and problem solving skills due to their type of work. In addition, Welders often go through training from vocational programs that focus on Welding Training which gears graduates towards certification and best industry practices.
What is the CWB Certification?
The Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) is an organization that certifies and registers the welding training process for licensing structural pressure vessel welders. The CWB provides testing in Electric Arc Mild Steel Welding (SMAW), Electric Arc Stainless Welding (SMAW), MIG Welding (GMAW) and Flux-core Welding (FCAW).
Why you should get your welding certification?
The main reason to get your welding certification is to ensure that you are up to date with the most recent techniques and procedures. By being a certified welder, individuals will have more career opportunities as the certification process is a record that a welding skill has been demonstrated in a controlled setting. Certification shows that an individual has demonstrated many competencies required to effectively work in the welding field.
Want to attend a welder school in Ontario?
Visit North American Trade Schools to learn more about why our program is right for you
