Discover the top 15 best welding schools in Alabama in 2023. This comprehensive guide showcases the finest institutions offering quality welding education and training. Find the perfect school to enhance your skills and pursue a successful welding career at the best welding schools in Alabama.
Although Alabama is home to kindhearted citizens, fantastic beaches, and excellent football, you can find various institutions in the state. Among these institutions, you can find exceptional welding schools where you can gain quality experience using modern-day equipment to learn how to weld.
A welding school prepares you for all the welding career entails – handling, joining, building, and repairing metals. And in Alabama, welding schools offer nothing but quality. They believe interested students need to stay motivated as they progress in their welding careers. They provide engaging training to keep them going while ensuring they become professional welders.
Should you need to attend a welding school in Alabama, read on as we take you through the 15 best welding schools in the state. Also, you’ll be reading related sub-topics and frequently asked questions (FAQs).
See Also: 15 Best Welding Schools in Missouri
Table of Contents
Are there Welding Schools in Alabama?
Welding schools in Alabama provide students with the necessary skills for a successful welding career. They’re also easily accessible, having conducive learning environments and detailed practical sessions. As such, we can say that Alabama has exceptional boarding schools.
How Do I Get into Welding Schools in Alabama?
To get into a welding school in Alabama, you must be ready for the challenges. This is because you’ll pass through a series of training such as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG), Metal Arc Welding (MIG), and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick). And this training requires commitment.
You must earn a high-school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) equivalent. After that, there are no strict requirements from welding schools. You need to be yourself and focus on your training when you get accepted.
How Long are Welding Schools in Alabama?
Your time in welding school in Alabama depends on your interest and the training program you opt for. This is because there are different types of welder training. But average, welding schools in Alabama take up to 2 years before completion.
Best Welding Schools in Alabama
Here, we’ll be taking you through the best 15 welding schools in Alabama. You should note that this list is based on several factors, including reputation, ratings, and reviews. They include:
#1. Alabama Pipe Welders Academy
Students at Alabama Pipe Welders Academy gain exceptional hands-on training with stellar equipment and qualified instructors. Its payment systems are also flexible, and that makes it well sought-after. Well, the best detail about the school is its unique training style. Students are exposed to real-life scenarios, preparing them for different welding situations. Additionally, the school is located in Mobile, AL.
#2. J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College
Located in Huntsville, AL, students at this school can take a 2-year course to earn their professional certificate in welding. The school ensures students become professionals through the necessary training and functional equipment in less than a year. Afterward, they can venture into various areas like soldering, cutting, brazing, and welding, enhancing the diversity of the Alabama welding workforce.
Also Read: 15 Best Welding Schools in Georgia
#3. Lawson State Community College
Lawson State Community College is located in Birmingham, AL. Students are exposed to different aspects of professional welding at the school, such as inspecting welding projects, arc welding, and blueprint reading.
The school also participates in Skills USA for students who wish to participate in the national competition – the welding category. In addition, students can become AWS-qualified after their stay at the school.
#4. Bishop State Community College
This school runs a 2-year welding training program in Mobile, AL. Students at the school enjoy quality training in various aspects of welding as well as safety measures. Additionally, they’re taught practical work ethics and how to maneuver dangerous situations. Top of it all, it is affordable for both in-state and out-of-state residents.
Also Read: 15 Best Welding Schools in Ohio
#5. Central Alabama Community College
Apart from being affordable for both in-state and non-residents, Central Alabama Community College provides students with the skills necessary for a great career in welding. The Alexander City-based school has a conducive environment and qualified instructors who will train students with their skills and experience.
#6. Gadsden State Community College – Wallace Drive Campus
Located in Gadsden, AL, this school offers professional training lessons and practical sessions to to-be welders. The school environment is accommodating, and the instructors are experienced. Through the school’s detailed training classes, students can go on to become professional and certified welders. The program lasts for two years.
Also Read: Best Welding Schools in Orlando
#7. Coastal Alabama Community College
The Coastal Alabama Community College is one of the best welding schools in Alabama. The welder training program at this school is exceptional and worth taking, with experienced instructors and state-of-the-art facilities.
The school takes students through every little detail of the welding profession, including work ethics, hazards, and safety measures.
#8. Shelton State Community College
This Tuscaloosa-based welding school runs a 2-year program where students can learn welding from the basics. From welding work ethics, regulations, and equipment identification to operational procedures, work hazards, and safety precautions, the school offers students quality training.
Additionally, it enjoys the services of qualified instructors with the right skills and experience. In turn, they pass helpful information and knowledge to students, making them as professional as possible.
Also Read: 15 Best Welding Schools in Virginia
#9. Calhoun Community College
Calhoun Community College is located in Tanner, AL, where students can get high-quality welding classes. Through the help of experienced instructors, the school takes students to intensive welding practical sessions. This way, it makes sure that only professional welders are produced.
#10. Bevill State Community College
If you’re interested in becoming a professional in a high-demand trade like welding, you don’t want to miss the welder training program at Bevill State Community College. It is one 0f the best in the state, with affordable fees and a conducive learning environment.
Its experienced teachers teach students the art of welding through the school’s modern-day equipment. This way, they ensure that students become skilled welders in no time.
Also Read: 15 Best Welding Schools in South Carolina
#11. Wallace Community College
Located in Dothan, Wallace Community College is a reputable school with excellent student performances to show for it. The school runs a 2-year welding training program in which students become professional welders after learning from elementary.
At Wallace Community College, experienced instructors are ready to bring skill, knowledge, and experience. Top of it all, it’s affordable.
#12. Northeast Alabama Community College
Founded in 1963, the Northeast Alabama Community College has long served students around the DeKalb and Jackson counties. The Rainsville-based school offers students exceptional training, preparing them to become skilled and adaptable welders. This way, they will work in various establishments under different welding areas as they proceed in their careers.
Also Read: 15 Best Welding Schools in Oklahoma
#13. Southern Union State Community College
This school is one of the best welding schools in Alabama. Considering its learning environment, students are sure to get the best experience at the school.
Coupled with the school has certified instructors, there is state-of-the-art equipment to facilitate easy learning. It is also affordable for both in-state and out-of-state residents.
#14. Reid State Technical College
Here, students have the knowledge, skills, and exposure needed to have a great welding career. At the school, you can learn collaboratively with other students in a conducive environment.
Classes are fully functional and student-oriented, and instructors are certified. The school’s comprehensive curriculum can also teach you how to repair and make quality welds.
#15. Trenholm State Community College
Situated in Montgomery, AL, Trenholm State Community College engages students with high-quality welding tutorials, preventive measures, and work ethics. The program teaches various aspects of welding, like material durability, working space requirements, physical protection, and general safety measures.
Also Read: Best Welding Schools in Tampa
How Much Does A Welder Make in Alabama?
An average welder in Alabama makes about $42,500 per year. However, this depends on factors like level of expertise, employer, type of establishment, etc. You can earn more if you’re in the right place and with high-quality skills.
Advantages of Welding School
The benefits of attending a welding school can’t be overemphasized. Professional welders apply many skills from welding schools in their everyday activities. This way, they provide excellent services and become more skillful in their careers. Here are some advantages of welding school:
- Vast Experience: A welding school prepares you for a diversified career, not a desk job. This means that by attending a welding school, you can work in various industries as a welder. Some places where you can perform well include the construction, automobile, and petroleum industries.
- Reasonable Pay: While welding schools don’t explicitly announce that they want to make you salary earners, they prepare you for reasonable earnings. You should note that welding is a career where you can improve. Thus, welding schools train you to keep improving while earning as much as possible.
- Better Employment Opportunities: Most companies turn down 50% of welders’ applications because they don’t have the required skills or, probably, enough required skills. Attending a welding school puts you in a better position to get employed at your preferred workplaces.
- Lucrative Career: Welding is a career that is needed in industries like aerospace, marine, and automobile. As such, there’s a high demand for welders globally. In this regard, a welding school equips you with all the necessary skills for a successful career.
Downsides of Welding School
While every advantage has its opposite, the downsides of welding school aren’t that many. Here are some disadvantages of welding school:
- Although you’ll be taught safety precautions, your practice sessions can put you at risk of burns, electric shock, and high-pressure injuries.
- You mightn’t have too much “free time” in welding school.
How to Become a Welder in Alabama
The most crucial step to becoming a professional welder in Alabama is to enroll in a preferred welding school in the state. This way, you’ll get the necessary training from the state’s various welder training programs, after which you’re good to go as a professional welder in Alabama.
FAQs
Do Welders Make Good Money?
Of course, welders make good money or, better still, decent pay. An average welder makes well over $40,000 per year. And that is considered decent by most people.
Does Alabama Have A Welding Program?
Yes! Alabama has some schools with quality welder training programs where students can gain every possible experience using stellar equipment.
Are Welders in Demand?
From oil rigs, manufacturing industries, and automobiles to aerospace and building construction, welders are always in demand. You have to stay at the top of your game to get good jobs that will pay you well enough for your skills.
Conclusion
Let’s face it; welding school isn’t all fun and rosy. However, with the necessary practice, you can become a professional in a career that doesn’t seem to be going away in the next few decades. And to do that, the best welding schools in Alabama are there to help you. Do well to go through our list, find your choice of school, and see you at the top!