Pickens Technical College’s Welding Pathway: The American Welding Society Plate Certification

At the end of the Welding Program at Pickens Technical College, you’ll have a chance to earn an American Welding Society Plate Certification. This certification grants you entry into the American Welding Society, which can act as an online training resource, job board, and community for other welders across the country. The certification also means you can ask for more in salary or charge clients more.

The American Welding Society offers many certifications so welders can distinguish themselves and specialize. The Welding Society Plate certification is one of the ways you can start to separate yourself from other welders in the job market after you graduate from Pickens. From there, you can earn any number of certifications after that as you gather experience.

In addition to these certifications, which include the Certified Welding Inspector and Certified Welding Engineer, you can earn endorsements and take online classes to prepare for exams and hone your skills.

What Extra Certification and Endorsements Can Do For You

As a professional welder entering the workforce after your time at Pickens, you’ll have plenty of opportunities, many within the Denver metro area. There is a consistent shortage of people who know this incredibly specialized craft, and many companies in a surprisingly wide array of industries are constantly on the lookout for welders.

Most professional welders start with a baseline certification and work their way up as they gain more experience. When leadership opportunities become available to you after some time on the job, you’ll be much better positioned to grab those opportunities if you have certifications and training in different welding specialties. Certifications can help you when negotiating salaries at different companies, and they can help climb the ladder at one company.

The Certified Welding Inspector

This is a particularly difficult certification that will fast-track you to leadership positions in the profession. It’s more involved than all the other welding certifications the American Welding Society offers, costing time and money. It’s worth it if you can pass and make a move up the employment ladder, but it cannot be taken lightly. The American Welding Society has made it easier to sign up to take the exam online, as well as study with seminars and other materials aimed at getting more qualified professional welders educated, trained, and certified.

Other Benefits of Joining the AWS

The American Welding Society is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the science, technology, and application of welding and similar work. Because of the chronic shortage of workers, the AWS is also focused on inspiring new generations of welders coming into the industry. Membership gives you access to many resources on welding, from exclusive, cutting-edge research studies to industry publications and news. You’ll be entered into a database of knowledge and know-how from over 70,000 members.

Get started on this promising career path by enrolling in the Pickens Welding program, taught by the experienced welder and instructor Jeff Oliver.