Welding Tips and Tricks

Just noticed the welding school I'm planning on attending doesn't seem to be registered with the 'AWS."However,there are other locations for the same school in the region that are.Does that mean they just haven't registered or what?Also,there are some of the same schools in the region that offer entry level certs through the sense program and some advertise they offer "expert level" certification.Is this something I need to take into account on deciding between schools?Thanks in advance.

The SENSE program provides some standardization for welding knowledge and skills based upon surveys done by the American Welding Society a few years back.

My program is registered as a SENSE school however not all courses will comply. There are specific requirements spelled out for participating and though some organizations may or may not participate, you should look at your needs and the training provided by the organization.

My GMAW SENSE course is 120 hours long. My Intro To GMAW is only 40. Setting up, running a bead, understanding the process- Almost the same. However the SENSE course will go into more detail with Drawings, Symbols, Terms, Inspection, Safety, and Layout/cutting. There are also "Required" exercises (Written and Practical" that must be completed).

The good thing about the SENSE program is that the standardization may allow transfer of records of completion between institutions.

You can read up on some of the requirements for the institution at http://aws.org/education/sense/qc10_r0808.pdf

The welding school I went to used the sense program and I didnt not like it. The school has sense then changed to the NCCER program and it seems much better. Not many people are using it yet but you should consider looking into it.

Some schools have scents. As in, they stink.