Welder - Training & Careers

In the simplest terms, welding is the process of superheating a metal joint until it can be brought together with molten metal. This process forms a permanent bond between the metal parts. The process uses gasses, such as acetylene, that burn at high temperatures, or high heat electrical arcs.

Welding Training

It is possible to learn the basic welding process in a very short time, but there are a shrinking number of jobs available for self-taught or on-the-job trained welders. Most employers consider only trained and experienced welders for their project teams. A large number of projects required welders who are not only trained, but who have also passed professional certification testing.

Jobs for People with Welder Training

Today's welders work on such precision jobs as ship building, aerospace ventures, international oil pipelines, and more. The huge metal beams that form the skeletons of buildings or the structure bridges are also joined by welding.

Welding training involves reading and understanding blueprints and welding process specification. Trained welders may be employed by companies that manufacture heavy machinery, aircraft, or high pressure boilers and storage tanks. Welding is considered a skilled trade, and it carries with it a heavy responsibility for accuracy.

Economic Outlook for Trained Welders

The demand for trained welders is growing rapidly. Many welders come through trade and vocational schools, but a number of welders are also college trained. Good welders must have excellent math skills and the ability to perform highly accurate work under unusual and strenuous conditions.

In addition to the manual welding equipment that is currently in use, more and more welders are learning to use the various automated and semi-automated welding tools that are coming into use throughout the world.