Welding Schools in Pennsylvania (Top Programs Listed)

Welding Schools in Pennsylvania

If you want to become a welder in Pennsylvania, you’ll be happy to learn that there are lots of welding schools in the state.

It means that you have enough options to choose from in order to get the best training for your future career.

Also, it should be mentioned that welding has an incredible outlook in Pennsylvania.

In this article, you’ll be able to find not only the list of schools but also some useful tips for future welders.

How to Become a Welder in Pennsylvania

If you’ve decided to become a welder in Pennsylvania, you are going to make a plan to achieve your goal.

It can be difficult to reveal what are the essential steps so we’ve prepared a short guide for you.

There are some crucial steps you need to take to achieve your goal:

  1. Learn some basics about the welding process. In order to understand the job better, watch some videos and read articles about welding. Also, if you have some friends and relatives working in the sphere, it will be a good idea to ask some questions.
  2. Reveal and evaluate your personal strengths. To work as a welder, you need to be strong and healthy. Also, there are some personal characteristics that are absolutely important. You should have excellent spatial orientation skills and manual dexterity. Moreover, you should be able to work independently and even have some artistic skills. If you don’t have at least most part of these features than welding can be not the best career for you. Nevertheless, if you have a determination then it can be not an issue.
  3. Choose the best training program. As soon as you’ve made a decision to become a welder, you need to look for the best program that suits your preferences. In this article, you can get info about the best welding certification schools in the state.
  4. Get your certification. To become a welder, you need not only to complete your training but as well pass the test in order to get your certification. Consider the fact that it should be taken at an accredited welding testing facility.
  5. Maintain your certification. After getting your certification, you should maintain it constantly. In order to do it, you need to fill out certain paperwork twice a year.

Welding in Pennsylvania: Clue Facts

Before making a final decision, we highly recommend you to learn at list some basics of welding.

There is you can find some important facts about welding and career challenges in Pennsylvania.

What is Welding?

If we try to explain what is welding in simple words, we can say that it’s a process of joining metal pieces heating and melting it.

To accomplish their job, welders use various tools and methods.

Welding vs Soldering vs Brazing

As it was said before, welding – it’s heating and melting metal pieces so they can be fused.

The main point is that welders don’t use any additional substances to join metal pieces.

It’s the main point why soldering and brazing differ greatly.

Both these methods use so-called fillers to connect metal elements.

Soldering and brazing need 850 degrees Fahrenheit/450 degrees Celsius to melt filler.

Welder’s Roles and Duties in Pennsylvania

There are 4 the most significant responsibilities any welder should perform daily:

  1.  Studying and understanding specific sketches, blueprints, and instructions. Also, a welder should be able to follow all these instructions properly.
  2. Raw structure/material analysis in order to determine appropriate methods required for an excellent result. There are about 100 welding methods such as gas tungsten arc welding, shielded metal arc welding, or gas metal arc welding.
  3. Usage of appropriate tools depending on the chosen method.
  4. Maintaining equipment and tools so it meets all the requirements. There is a variety of different types of tools including electric and manual equipment. Sometimes, welders should be able to use numerous combination of tools to perform their job properly.

Most Popular Welding Methods

Among the most popular methods there are:

  • Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick);
  • Plasma Arc Welding;
  • Flux-Cored Welding;
  • Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG);
  • Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG);
  • Gas or Oxy-Acetylene Welding.

Average Welder’s Salary in Pennsylvania

There are lots of job offers for welders in Pennsylvania which means that you can find a job right after graduation easily.

Of course, you’re interested in how much you can earn working as a welder in Pennsylvania.

We’ve made some research and prepared specific data for you.

A median welder’s salary throughout the USA is about $39 390 per year while a median welder’s salary in Pennsylvania – $42 150.

Speaking of the top 10% welders, in Pennsylvania, they earn about $59 440 annually.

At the same time, throughout the country, they earn about $62 100 per year.

Top 49 Welding Certification Schools in Pennsylvania

There is a list of the best welding certification schools in Pennsylvania.

It contains some contact data as well.

SchoolLocationContact InformationPhone Number
Berks Career & Tech Center-West1057 County Welfare Rd, Leesport, PA 19533 United StatesErik Damgaard(610) 374-4073
Bethlehem Area Vocational Tech Center3300 Chester Ave, Bethlehem, PA 18020 United StatesBrian Williams(610) 866-8013
Bucks County Tech School610 Wistar Rd, Fairless Hills, PA 19030 United StatesWilliam C Cronin(215) 949-1700
Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School210 Campus Lane, Butler, PA 16001 United StatesKurt Speicher(724) 282-0735
Butler County Community College107 College Drive, Butler, PA 16002 United StatesTracie Nehilla(724) 287-8711
Carbon County Area Vocational Tech150 W 13 St, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 United StatesLyly Augustine(717) 325-3682
Career Institute of Technology5335 Kesslersville Rd, Easton, PA 18048-6799 United StatesEric Kahler(610) 258-2857
Career Tech Center-Lackawana3201 Rockwell Ave, Scranton, PA 18508 United StatesNick Harvey(570) 346-8471 xt. 115
Center for Art Tech-Brandywine1635 E Lincoln Hwy, Coatesville, PA 19320 United StatesMark Stellato(610) 384-1585
Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center240 Arona Road New Stanton, PA 15672 United StatesRichard Baur(724) 925-3532
Centre County Area Vo-Tech540 N Harrison Rd., Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 United StatesGeorgory Michelone(814) 359-2793
Clarion County Career Center447 Career Rd, Shippenville, PA 16254 United StatesBrad Hoover(814) 226-4391
Columbia /Montour A.V.T.S5050 Sweppenheiser Dr, Bloomsburg, PA 17815 United StatesJonathan Rine(570) 784-8040
Commonwealth Technical Institute727 Goucher Street Johnstown, PA 15905 United StatesKaren Bilchak(814) 255-8200
Crawford County Vocational Tech SchoolJohnstown, PA 15905 William Powell(814) 724-6024
Cumberland Perry A.V.T.S.United StatesSamuel Yinger(717) 697-0354
Erie County Technical School8500 Oliver Rd, Erie, PA 16509 United StatesMark Cyphert(814) 864-0641
Franklin County Ctc2463 Loop Rd Chambersburg, PA 17202 United StatesBen Mordan(717) 263-9033
Greater Altoona Career And Technical Center1500 4th Ave, Altoona, PA 16602 United StatesGeorge A Woomer(814) 946-8457
Hazleton Area Career Center1451 W 23rd St, Hazleton, PA 18202 United StatesRichard Tihansky(570) 459-3111
Indiana County Technology Center441 Hamill Road, Indiana, PA 15701 United StatesLewis Toth(724) 349-6700
Jefferson County-Dubois Vo-Tech SchoolP.O. Box 968, Reynoldsville, PA 15851 United StatesRodney E. Heininger(614) 653-8265
Lancaster County Career &Technology Center432 Old Market St, Mount Joy, PA 17552 United StatesJohn Boyer(717) 653 3000
Lebanon County Career & Tech833 Metro Dr, Lebanon, PA 17042 United StatesSharon Bally(717) 273-8551
Lehigh Career And Technical Institute4500 Education Park Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078 United StatesDavid Schnalzer(610) 799-1358
Lenape Area Voc Tech School2215 Chaplin Ave, Ford City, PA 16226 United StatesDaniel Mulvey(724) 763-7116
Luzerne County Community College1333 S. Prospect St. Nanticoke, PA 18634 United StatesSusan Spry(570) 740-0647
Mercer County Career Center776 Greenville Rd Mercer, PA 16137 United StatesAaron Kline(724) 662-3000
Middle Bucks Institute of Tech2740 Old York Rd, Jamison, PA 18929 United StatesRobert Lees(215) 343-2480
Monroe County Vocational Tech SchoolP.O. Box 66, Laurel Lakes Dr, Bartonsville, PA 18321 United StatesFrank Wernet(570) 629-2001
New Castle School of Trades4164 US 422, Pulaski, PA 16143 United StatesGeorge Klesser(724) 964-8811
North Montco Technical Career Center1265 Sumneytown, Lansdale, PA 19446 United StatesJoshua Seitzer(215) 368-1177
Northampton Community College3835 Green Pond Rd Bethlehem, PA 18020 United StatesDino Forst(610) 332-6270
Northern Tier Career CenterRR #1 Box 157A, Towanda, PA 18848 United StatesJanet Matthews(570) 265-8111
Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center705 Stevenson Blvd, New Kensington, PA 15068 United StatesScott Trosky(724) 335-9389
Pittsburgh Public Schools625 South 10th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 United StatesGeorge Kirk(412) 338-3759
Pittsburgh Technical Institute1111 McKee Road, Oakdale, PA 15071 United StatesRobert Rossell(412) 809-5177
Schuylkill Technology Center15 Maple Avenue, Mar Lin, PA 17951 United StatesFrank Rupp(570) 544-4748
Seneca Valley School District126 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 United StatesJoe Ehrenberger(724) 452-6040
Somerset County Area Vocational SchoolRd 5 Vo-Tech Rd, Somerset, PA 15501 United StatesLeroy Derstine(814) 443-3651
Sun Area Technical Institute815 E. Market St, New Berlin, PA 17855 United StatesDennis Hain(570) 966-1031
The Summit Academy839 Herman Rd, Herman, PA 16039 United StatesMark Klemz(724) 282-1995
Tri State Business Institute-Welding Tech5757 W 26th St, Erie, PA 16506 United StatesChet Wesley(814) 838-7673
Upper Bucks A.V.T.S.3115 Ridge Rd, Perkasie, PA 18944 United StatesJeffery J Swayer(215) 795-2911
Western Area Career & Technology Center688 Western Avenue, Canonsberg, PA 15317 United StatesJoseph Lannett(724) 746-2890
Wilkes Barre Area Vocational TechWilkes, PA 18705 United StatesFrank Beilenda(717) 822-4131
Williamsport Area High School2990 W 4th St, Williamsport, PA 17701 United StatesDavid Gephart(570) 323-8411
York County School of Technology2179 S Queen St, York, PA 17402 United StatesBrian Yarrison(717) 741-0820
York County School Of Technology - Adult Ed2179 S. Queen St. York, PA 17402 United StatesMeredith Edgar(717) 741-0820

Keep in mind that the information in the table may change so we recommend you to doublecheck it. 

Popular Degree Programs

Conclusion

As you can see, there are lots of welding certification schools in Pennsylvania so you have enough options to choose from.

Nevertheless, you need to be sure that welding is exactly what you want as your future career as it’s a difficult job.

If you are confident in your choice, you can be sure that you’ll be rewarded for your decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size generator is needed to run a 140 amp welder?

WelditU has a chart that shows the ideal generator size range for different welder amperages.

For a 140-amp welder, a generator between 4,500 and 6,500 watts is the most optimal.

As you can see on the chart, there is a positive correlation between the welder’s amperage and the size of the generator.

What does DCEP mean in welding?

DCEP means direct current electrode positive.

The DCEP is one of two poles — the other one being direct current electrode negative (DCEN) — the welding electrode is connected to when direct current is being used.

Welding can use either an alternating current or a direct current.

Can you earn more if you are part of a union?

It is not guaranteed, but welders who are members of unions do tend to earn more than welders who are not in unions (approximately 20% more).

However, the exact impact of union membership or non-membership depends on a welder’s industry and where they live.

Still, the long-term relationships that union workers are able to forge with government agencies and businesses go a long way in maximizing their career and income-earning potential.

USA Welding Schools by City


USA Welding Schools by State


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