Top 11 Welding Schools & Programs Near Me

You may leave your unfulfilling career and become a well-paid, skilled worker by investing in a professional welding school. As a rapidly expanding field, several work options in welding pay competitive wages. Automotive, building and construction, aerospace, as well as the military all have a high demand for welders.

To help you find the right welding schools that offer state-of-the-art training and help you hone your skills, check out this list of the top welding schools in the USA.

Best Welding Schools in the USA

With the proper training, you can work as a manufacturing welding technician, technical sales, assembler, or welder inspector in robotics repair and maintenance and any specialized welding sector. Here are some of the top welding schools in the United States.

1. Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC)

Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC) was created in collaboration between local manufacturers, educational districts, and business and industry leaders. This branch campus offers dual enrollment credits, industrial certifications, and a new path to success via applied skills learning. Students gain a lot from the vast connections teachers have with the business.

The Industrial Welding & Metal Fabrication program offered by the school is meant to get students ready for jobs as structural, pipe, or production welders at the entry level. Students can complete the program in one or two years, depending on their needs. The course is delivered by a welding teacher who has attained AWS certification and meets with national requirements set out by the AWS.

A combination of theory and practical shop exercises, Welding Technology, teaches blueprint reading, metallurgy, layout techniques, safety, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) in addition to other welding-related skills. The program complies with industry standards set by the American Welding Society (AWS) certification criteria.

2. College of Eastern Idaho (CEI)

College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) offers welding programs that lead to an Associate of Applied Science degree, an Advanced Technical Certificate, and an Intermediate Technical Certificate in welding. These full-time programs can be completed within 10 to 22 months. You will get training in metallic inert gas (MIG), inner shield welding, oxyacetylene welding and burning, shielded arc (stick), and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding.

Math, layout and fabrication projects, metal identification, welding theory, and blueprint interpretation are all related subjects that will be taught in the program. About two hours a day of your time as a student will be spent in the classroom, and the other four and a half hours will be spent on practical work.

The programs are affordable, with a tuition cost of $219 per credit hour. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 9:1, students get to study in a Live Shop and learn in an immersive environment. The instructors are ASME certified. The program offers 1700 hours of hands-on experience. The school offers job placement assistance with a 95% placement rate.

3. Hobart Institute of Welding Technology (HIWT)

The goal of the welding program at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology (HIWT) is to provide students with high-quality, reasonably priced training that will enable them to develop marketable welding abilities. The school offers programs that you can finish in 24 or 40 weeks. These include the Structural Welding Program and Pathways Welding Program.

The programs include Shielded Metal Arc Welding Process, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Process, Gas Metal Arc Welding Process, Welding Technology & Blueprint Reading, Advanced Blueprint Reading, Oxyacetylene Welding, Cutting, & Brazing, Pipe Layout for Pipefitter & Welders I, Pipe Layout for Pipefitter & Welders II, and Introduction to Metal Fabrication.

Federal Grants & Loans, scholarships, and other funding options are among the options available to individuals who meet the requirements to help cover the cost of education for students. By the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology has received accreditation. In line with the AWS® QC7 certificate program, HIWT is authorized by the American Welding Society (QC4) to execute welder qualification.

4. Welder Training and Testing Institute (WTTI)

The Welder Training and Testing Institute (WTTI) was established in Pennsylvania’s Allentown in 1968. For more than 44 years, WTTI has provided students with the vocational training and certifications they need to get a job in the welding industry. The school is set up for specialized training in welding. Sixty workstations are provided in the shop area for the instruction of semi-automatic processes, electric arc welding, and gas welding/cutting.

The main career-level program, Welder Fitter, is a 900-hour career training program created especially for students who have little to no welding experience. Extra hands-on practice using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG) and a range of different metals is part of specialized training. Additionally, fundamental directions for pipe fitting and structural architecture are covered, as well as Combination Processes.

Students can also enroll in programs including Standard Welding, Advanced Welder Qualification, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, Gas Metal Arc Welding, and Flux Cored Arc Welding. The shop’s student-to-instructor ratio is 15 to 1, and that of the classroom is 25 to 1. The school offers financial aid options for students enrolled in the Welder Fitter program.

5. Elite Welding Academy

The Elite Welding Academy is a for-profit enterprise that offers the training required to launch a lucrative and fulfilling career in the welding industry. With exceptional training in the lab and classroom, the school offers welding education to prepare students for real-world workplace circumstances.

The programs offered include the Structural and Pipe Welding Program, Structural Welding Program, and Manufacturing Welding/SP Program. The academy will aid with placement when the training programs are successfully completed. With the support of Ohio’s TechCred program, employers may upskill existing or prospective employees, enabling them to compete for better jobs in the modern, tech-driven economy.

The total cost of the programs, including tuition, tools, and lab material, can range from $4,759 to $17,398. The school has received federal financial assistance approval and is included on the WIOA list in neighboring counties. The State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, as well as the Accrediting Council of Continuing Education and Training, have both granted the school approval.

6. Arclabs Welding School

For more than ten years, Arclabs Welding School has provided welding, pipe fitting, and inspection instruction and testing for students. Four campuses make up the school, including three in South Carolina and one in Texas. To meet and beyond ACCET criteria for job placement, Arclabs Welding School works hard to help students develop the drafting of resumes and interview techniques.

Students can enroll in programs including 1,300-hour master welder, 900-hour advanced welding, 400-hour welding, and 280-hour welding. Welders who wish to develop their abilities or learn about certain processes or methods can take specialty seminars at the school.

The school offers various funding options, including scholarships, awards, payment plans, veterans benefits, state funding, federal Pell Grant, and others. At the campus recruitment fairs, local firms are invited to present their organizations and vacant vacancies. The Arclabs administration will aid graduates with job search, interview prep, resume writing, and welding test preparation.

7. Cal-Trade Welding School

Cal-Trade Welding School helps students gain knowledge, skills, self-discipline, self-confidence, and a professional attitude to become qualified for the welding profession. The school offers hands-on training programs in Welding Inspection, Structural Welding, MIG/TIG Welding, and Pipeline Welding.

In addition, students can choose the combination course, which includes MIG welding, TIG welding, Stick welding, and Fluxed Core Arc welding. The instructors at Cal-Trade possess a Certificate of Authorization for Service from CCPVE for Instructors in addition to several years of on-the-job training. The institution helps the student secure an interview with hiring professionals by keeping a current list of recognized openings.

The institution accepts the VA GI Bill® and offers financing and financial aid. When a prospective employer has booked a weld test for one of the graduates, the school will provide them with one hour of practice at no cost. According to the California Education Code (CEC), the Council for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (CPPVE) granted institutional accreditation to the Cal-Trade Welding School of Modesto.

8. Western Welding Academy

Located in Wyoming, Western Welding Academy (WWA) is the only pipe welding school in the nation that is entirely owned and run by actual pipeline and pipe welders. You receive all the training necessary from the school to weld pipe at the journeyman level. All WWA graduates are eligible for lifelong job placement help from the institution.

The school offers welding programs such as the Professional Pipe Welder, SMAW Structural Welder, SMAW Pipe Welder, GTAW Pipe Welder, and Advanced SMAW DOWWN Hill & GTAW Stainless Pipe Welding. The programs can be completed in 5 to 24 weeks.

To provide students who wish to register in their welding program with reasonable financing choices, the academy has teamed up with three financial assistance organizations. These include Ascent Financing, Mia Share, and Climb Credit. In addition, students can also get the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grant.

9. Knight School of Welding

Located in the Louisville, Kentucky region, Knight School of Welding offers a range of welding certification programs and completes small welding tasks. The school offers training programs in MIG Welding, Stick Welding, TIG Welding, 6G Pipe Uphill Welding, and TIG Stainless Pipe Welding.

You will be given a certification card to keep in your wallet after passing the certification exam at Knight School of Welding. This will lead to your name being added to the list of QC7 Certified Welders maintained by The American Welding Society. The school offers several funding options, including Company Tuition Reimbursement, Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, WorkOne Indiana, and Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, among others.

Graduates of the welding programs receive lifetime employment support from the school. The team will offer assistance with job leads and searches, resume writing, preparing for employer welding tests, and on-campus employer recruiting.

10. Kentucky Welding Institute (KWI)

Kentucky Welding Institute (KWI) gives students access to cutting-edge tools, assistance from devoted teachers with a 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and a significant return on investment. Certified Pipe Welder, Certified Structural Welder, and Certified Fabricator Welder are the programs that the school offers in welding.

KWI offers pricey certifications from organizations like the American Welding Society, the National Centre for Construction Education and Research, the National Commission for Certification of Crane Operators, the Occupational Safety and Health Organisation, the American Safety and Health Institute, and the Mine Safety and Health Organisation that look good on a resume.

With more classroom and welding time than other schools, KWI tuition includes all the metal, electrodes, and gases your welder may need. You will also just require a full set of one-handed tools to start working and finding your first job. Private scholarships, Department of Labour TAA/WIOA aid, and VA benefits are all accepted by KWI in addition to your KEES funds.

11. Missouri Welding Institute

Established in 1994 and located in Nevada, Missouri Welding Institute employs a hands-on approach, individualized attention, and a family-style environment to teach the best welding craftsman in the country. Students are given the resources they need at the institute to forge their paths. The courses in welding include Master Pipe Welding and Fitting, Master Structural Welding and Fitting, and Advanced Pipe Fitting.

The school also offers a custom program for qualified welders that will help enhance their welding proficiency level. The program length for this course is 1 to 10 weeks. State and municipal scholarships are accepted by the institute. In addition, your financial condition will be taken into account when the admissions experts walk you through the financial aid process and assist you in locating the greatest scholarships and grants.

The fee for the program includes all coursebooks and equipment, including leather welding sleeves and bib, safety glasses, chipping hammers, heavy welding gloves, a welding hood equipped with a filter lens, and other materials. During the in-depth placement session, the instructors advise students on how to create a resume of the highest caliber, carry out fruitful employment searches, and get ready for interviews and welding tests. At our four-times-a-year employment fairs, students may network with potential employers and contractors.

Winding Up

Given the high level of competence required for welding, many prospective employees discover that their experience is more desirable after obtaining top-notch instruction from a recognized welding school. Students should look for accreditation and certification of the schools they choose to ensure getting proper training in the field.