We have brought you all the information you need to know about welding, along with training schools.
Contents show
How to Start Your Welding Career
Below are the steps you need to take in order to become a welder:
- Understand what welding is all about by doing research.
- Ask for tips from your friends and family who might work in this industry.
- Asses your physical and mental skills.
- As a welder, you need to be in good shape and have positional awareness skills.
- You will also need a keen eye to detail and the ability to work alone.
- Decide on the training course you will take.
- We have compiled a list of the best welding schools in Pennsylvania, to help you out.
- After getting certified, remember to renew your papers every 6 months.
Important Information about Welding
Before you even start looking for a school, read on about some essential things every welder needs to know.
What does a welder do?
You will be fusing metal pieces together with the help of different instruments.
A welder works with heat and fire in order to melt the metal pieces.
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing: Differences
While welders don’t include any substances in their work, solders, and brazers use fillers to fuse the metal.
These last 2 professions require the melting of filler at an 850 degrees Fahrenheit or 450 degrees Celsius temperature.
Job responsibilities
Some of the daily job duties are:
- Reading and comprehending the drawings, blueprints, and guidelines provided
- You need to make sure to stick to the guidelines at all times.
- Analyze the raw material to decide which of the 100 welding techniques should be used.
- The most common ones are gas tungsten arc welding, shielded metal arc welding, and gas metal arc welding.
- Choose the right tools based on the technique.
- Keep the manual and electric equipment ready to be used.
- You may need to use various tool combinations to complete your task.
Welding Techniques
The best-known welding techniques 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
Median Wage for a Welder in Pennsylvania
You probably want to know how much you will make in your new job, and we have researched the info for you.
In Pennsylvania, the average wage for a welder is $39,454 a year, with $39,533 annually in the rest of the country.
For a top 10% welder, the yearly salary equals $45,327 in Pennsylvania and $45,418 in other areas.
Annual Salary Range:$34K
$39K
$45K
Average Salary of Certified Welders in Pennsylvania
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia | $42,538 |
| Pittsburgh | $38,846 |
| Allentown | $39,415 |
| Erie | $36,517 |
| Upper Darby | $42,538 |
| Reading | $39,095 |
| Scranton | $36,489 |
| Bethlehem | $39,415 |
| Bensalem | $44,646 |
| Lancaster | $38,731 |
Regional Salary
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 760 | $52,700 | $25.34 | $65,410 | $40,540 |
| Altoona, PA | 180 | $46,500 | $22.36 | $55,450 | $37,550 |
| Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA | 330 | $47,520 | $22.85 | $54,700 | $38,350 |
| Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA | 360 | $53,480 | $25.71 | $65,790 | $39,430 |
| East Stroudsburg, PA | 60 | $48,800 | $23.46 | $62,460 | $34,330 |
| Erie, PA | 630 | $51,960 | $24.98 | $76,970 | $35,200 |
| Gettysburg, PA | 70 | $50,170 | $24.12 | $58,860 | $38,780 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 460 | $52,610 | $25.29 | $65,260 | $38,170 |
| Johnstown, PA | 180 | $45,400 | $21.83 | $57,520 | $36,100 |
| Lancaster, PA | 1,170 | $50,700 | $24.38 | $62,010 | $38,140 |
| Lebanon, PA | 290 | $48,930 | $23.52 | $58,710 | $37,170 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,280 | $56,090 | $26.96 | $71,990 | $39,430 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 2,580 | $52,930 | $25.45 | $72,160 | $38,030 |
| Reading, PA | 800 | $50,080 | $24.08 | $60,870 | $38,670 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA | 510 | $47,950 | $23.05 | $61,060 | $36,020 |
| State College, PA | 110 | $47,960 | $23.06 | $62,280 | $35,880 |
| Williamsport, PA | 260 | $50,530 | $24.29 | $70,390 | $35,430 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 830 | $51,590 | $24.8 | $64,400 | $38,070 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Best Welding Training Schools in Pennsylvania
Below is the list of certified training schools in this state.
Some of them offer adult education as well, as is the case with the last one on this list
48 Welding Schools in Pennsylvania
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Berks Career & Tech Center-West | 1057 County Welfare Rd, Leesport, PA 19533 United States |
| Bethlehem Area Vocational Tech Center | 3300 Chester Ave, Bethlehem, PA 18020 United States |
| Bucks County Tech School | 610 Wistar Rd, Fairless Hills, PA 19030 United States |
| Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School | 210 Campus Lane, Butler, PA 16001 United States |
| Butler County Community College | 107 College Drive, Butler, PA 16002 United States |
| Carbon County Area Vocational Tech | 150 W 13 St, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 United States |
| Career Institute of Technology | 5335 Kesslersville Rd, Easton, PA 18048-6799 United States |
| Career Tech Center-Lackawana | 3201 Rockwell Ave, Scranton, PA 18508 United States |
| Center for Art Tech-Brandywine | 1635 E Lincoln Hwy, Coatesville, PA 19320 United States |
| Central Westmoreland Career & Technology Center | 240 Arona Road New Stanton, PA 15672 United States |
| Centre County Area Vo-Tech | 540 N Harrison Rd., Pleasant Gap, PA 16823 United States |
| Clarion County Career Center | 447 Career Rd, Shippenville, PA 16254 United States |
| Columbia /Montour A.V.T.S | 5050 Sweppenheiser Dr, Bloomsburg, PA 17815 United States |
| Commonwealth Technical Institute | 727 Goucher Street Johnstown, PA 15905 United States |
| Crawford County Vocational Tech School | 860 Thurston Rd, Meadville, PA 16335, USA |
| Cumberland Perry A.V.T.S. | 110 Old Willow Mill Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, USA |
| Erie County Technical School | 8500 Oliver Rd, Erie, PA 16509 United States |
| Franklin County Ctc | 2463 Loop Rd Chambersburg, PA 17202 United States |
| Greater Altoona Career And Technical Center | 1500 4th Ave, Altoona, PA 16602 United States |
| Hazleton Area Career Center | 1451 W 23rd St, Hazleton, PA 18202 United States |
| Indiana County Technology Center | 441 Hamill Road, Indiana, PA 15701 United States |
| Jefferson County-Dubois Vo-Tech School | P.O. Box 968, Reynoldsville, PA 15851 United States |
| Lancaster County Career &Technology Center | 432 Old Market St, Mount Joy, PA 17552 United States |
| Lebanon County Career & Tech | 833 Metro Dr, Lebanon, PA 17042 United States |
| Lehigh Career And Technical Institute | 4500 Education Park Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078 United States |
| Lenape Area Voc Tech School | 2215 Chaplin Ave, Ford City, PA 16226 United States |
| Luzerne County Community College | 1333 S. Prospect St. Nanticoke, PA 18634 United States |
| Mercer County Career Center | 776 Greenville Rd Mercer, PA 16137 United States |
| Middle Bucks Institute of Tech | 2740 Old York Rd, Jamison, PA 18929 United States |
| Monroe County Vocational Tech School | P.O. Box 66, Laurel Lakes Dr, Bartonsville, PA 18321 United States |
| New Castle School of Trades | 4164 US 422, Pulaski, PA 16143 United States |
| North Montco Technical Career Center | 1265 Sumneytown, Lansdale, PA 19446 United States |
| Northampton Community College | 3835 Green Pond Rd Bethlehem, PA 18020 United States |
| Northern Tier Career Center | RR #1 Box 157A, Towanda, PA 18848 United States |
| Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center | 705 Stevenson Blvd, New Kensington, PA 15068 United States |
| Pittsburgh Public Schools | 625 South 10th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 United States |
| Pittsburgh Technical Institute | 1111 McKee Road, Oakdale, PA 15071 United States |
| Schuylkill Technology Center | 15 Maple Avenue, Mar Lin, PA 17951 United States |
| Seneca Valley School District | 126 Seneca School Road, Harmony, PA 16037 United States |
| Somerset County Area Vocational School | Rd 5 Vo-Tech Rd, Somerset, PA 15501 United States |
| Sun Area Technical Institute | 815 E. Market St, New Berlin, PA 17855 United States |
| The Summit Academy | 839 Herman Rd, Herman, PA 16039 United States |
| Tri State Business Institute-Welding Tech | 5757 W 26th St, Erie, PA 16506 United States |
| Upper Bucks A.V.T.S. | 3115 Ridge Rd, Perkasie, PA 18944 United States |
| Western Area Career & Technology Center | 688 Western Avenue, Canonsberg, PA 15317 United States |
| Wilkes Barre Area Vocational Tech | 350 Jumper Rd, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, USA |
| Williamsport Area High School | 2990 W 4th St, Williamsport, PA 17701 United States |
| York County School of Technology | 2179 S Queen St, York, PA 17402 United States |
Remember to recheck the info, as it might change over time.
Conclusion
After making sure welding is the right choice for you, choose one of the training schools and your career will flourish.
Welding Schools by City
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