WELDING & JOINING TECHNOLOGY

Welding plays a critical role in the strength and durability of everything, from cars to heavy industrial machinery to bridges. The Welding/Joining Technology program is one of Albany Tech’s longest-running programs, meeting demand throughout the region and beyond for entry-level welders/fabricators or support industry employees. The most common and simplest type of welding today is arc welding, which uses electrical currents to create heat and bond metals together, but there are over 100 different processes that a welder can employ. The type of weld used is normally determined by the types of metals being joined and the conditions under which the welding is to take place.

Entry-level skills taught in this program include operation and manipulation of oxyfuel/plasma cutting equipment, shears, brakes, drills, and grinders. Students will also learn the four processes while implementing blueprint reading skills and layout techniques with various measuring and hand tool equipment. Those processes include shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding (GTAW), and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW).

Albany Tech recently added three state-of-the-art welding simulators to the program, enabling students to gain valuable skills at a much faster rate due to the prep time needed to set up for traditional welding training. In addition, modern inverter welders were purchased to replace those that were outdated, giving students in this program every possible advantage for learning.

Program graduates receive a Welding and Joining Technology diploma, have the qualifications of a welding and joining technician, and are prepared to take qualification tests. The program offers Technical Certificates of Credit in FCAW, GMAW, GTAW, SMAW, advanced SMAW, intermediate welder, and advanced welder.

Opportunities For Continuing Education

Many graduates that earn a Welding and Joining Technology diploma choose to pursue additional engineering training with a welding background.

Admissions Testing

ATC uses the Accuplacer-Next Generation exam for measuring proficiency in reading, writing and math. Applicants must achieve minimum admissions scores on the exam as specified in the program state standards or acceptable scores on a statistically validated test such as the SAT or ACT. Program-specific entrance scores are a minimum requirement, and higher scores may be required. Reasonable accommodations are made during testing for those who need them. (The examiner should be notified prior to testing.)

Financial Aid

ATC offers several types of financial assistance to help qualified applicants pay for their education. Funds are available through the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study and the Georgia HOPE programs. Students may also receive assistance through the Job Training Partnership Act, operated by the Georgia Department of Labor, or the Veterans Educational Assistance Program, administered by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Sufficient financial assistance is available to provide the opportunity for eligible students to attend college. Grant and scholarship programs operate on an award-year beginning in August and ending in July. Students must apply or re-apply each year to receive or continue to receive financial aid.