Welding
Train at Summit College — 720 instructional hours across 6 modules in a residential on-ground format.
Build the skills and knowledge to perform as an entry-level Welder across four arc-welding processes plus Oxyacetylene cutting and brazing. Hands-on training in SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, and FCAW, with welding safety, symbols, and blueprint reading for welders and fitters.
What Is a Welding?
The Welding program at Summit College is designed to provide the student with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully perform the functions of an entry-level Welder in various welding processes. Basic Welding includes training in metal cutting and brazing utilizing the Oxyacetylene torch and welding employing four welding processes — Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), and Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW).
The program includes knowledge in welding safety, symbols, and blueprint reading for welders, and introduces students to the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully perform the functions of an entry-level Welder in various shops. The program is offered in both lecture and "hands-on" practical lab formats.
Welders join, cut, and braze metals to build and repair structures, equipment, and components across manufacturing, fabrication, construction, and structural work. The role blends technical knowledge of welding processes, electrodes, and joints with hands-on time at the booth — producing quality welds in flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions on mild steel and aluminum.
Welders
Job Growth Outlook
720 instructional hours · 6 modules (6 weeks each) · 42 quarter credits · 36 weeks
Training Duration
How Welding Training Is Delivered
Format
Residential — on-ground lecture (didactic) and lab skills. Teacher/Student Ratio 1:30 Class / 1:20 Lab.
Typical Timeline
6 modules × 6 weeks each — 720 total instructional clock hours (120 lecture / 600 lab) and 42 quarter credit hours over 36 weeks.
Flexibility
Students must maintain 80% overall program attendance and complete all 6 modules to be eligible for a Certificate of Completion.
Learning Flow
Each module includes an estimated 14 hours of homework outside the classroom (84 total estimated homework hours across the program). Lab hours focus on industry-related skills, exercises, and activities that strengthen and broaden a student's understanding of the job duties required in the welding field.
Coaching Support
What You'll Learn in Welding Training
Core Skills
The foundational skills you'll build in this program.
- WB110 Gas Metal Arc Welding Basic (20 lecture / 100 lab) — 5 basic weld joints and practice on ½" beveled plates
- WB120 Oxyacetylene Welding & Cutting (20/100) — 11g mild steel in all positions plus 5g and 6g tube welding, with plasma and oxyfuel cutting and beveling
- WB130 Shielded Metal Arc Welding (20/100) — E7024, E6010, E6011, and E7018 electrodes in flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions across all 5 basic weld joints
- WB140 Flux Cored Arc Welding / Symbols for Welding (20/100) — flux core with and without gas on 3/8" T-joints and 1" single v-groove beveled plates in all positions, plus engineering drawings and welding symbols
- WB150 Gas Tungsten Arc Welding / Blueprint Reading (20/100) — quality weldments on mild steel and aluminum in flat, horizontal, and vertical positions using ER70S-2 and 4043 filler metals, plus blueprint reading for welders and fitters
- WB160 SMAW Structural (20/100) — single v-grooves on 1" mild steel plate in horizontal, vertical, and overhead positions. Prerequisite chain: WB140, WB150, and WB160 require WB110, WB120, and WB130.
Tools & Technology
Practical tools and frameworks used in the field.
- SMAW, TIG, and Flux Core machines
- Plasma and Carbon Arc cutter
- Oxyacetylene table
- chop saw and grinders (various). Filler metals include ER70S-2 and 4043
- electrodes include E7024, E6010, E6011, and E7018. Reference texts: Welding: Principles and Applications
- Blueprint Reading for Welders
- Welding and Metal Fabrication
- Basic Blueprint Reading and Sketching
- Mathematics for Machine Technology.
Safety & Compliance
Safety protocols and compliance requirements.
- Welding safety, PPE, and shop conduct
- safe operation of SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, and FCAW equipment
- safe Oxyacetylene cutting and brazing
- plasma and carbon arc cutting safety
- symbols and blueprint interpretation for fit-up and welding
- 80% overall attendance requirement. Uniform/consumables: 2 welding long-sleeve shirts, welding kit, and classroom consumables as needed.
Is Welding Training Right For You?
This program is designed for motivated learners who want a structured path into a career in summit college.
This Program Is For You If...
- You want a stable, essential skilled trade with strong demand across manufacturing, fabrication, and construction
- You're comfortable with hands-on bench and booth work
- You can commit to an on-ground residential schedule with lecture and lab
- You're targeting roles as a welder, fabricator, structural welder, or pipe welder.
Consider Other Options If...
- You want a fully online, self-paced program
- You're looking for a desk-based or office-only role
- You can't commit to the 6-module on-ground schedule
- You aren't comfortable with heat, sparks, fumes, PPE, or extended time at a welding booth.
Certifications for Welding
This program prepares you for nationally recognized certifications that employers value.
Certificate of Completion — Welding
Summit College
Awarded once the student completes all 6 program modules and meets the 80% overall attendance requirement.
Focus: Comprehensive coverage of GMAW, Oxyacetylene welding and cutting, SMAW, FCAW with welding symbols, GTAW with blueprint reading, and SMAW Structural welding across 720 instructional hours.
Graduates are trained across the four major arc-welding processes (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW) plus Oxyacetylene welding and cutting — with welding symbols and blueprint reading for welders and fitters.
* Industry welder certifications (such as AWS-aligned performance qualifications) are awarded by third-party certifying bodies and may require additional testing beyond this program. Apprentice registration and structural/pipe welder certifications vary by employer, jurisdiction, and project specification.
Career Outlook
Entry-Level Roles
- Entry-level Welder
- Fabrication Welder
- Production Welder
- Cutter
- Brazer
- Welding Machine Setter/Operator/Tender (per SOC 51-4121 and 51-4122).
Advancement Path
Progress into Structural Welder, Pipe Welder, Combo Welder, Welding Inspector, Welding Foreman, or specialty positions in TIG/aluminum, stainless, or code work.
Career Progression
CIP 48.0508 (Welding Technology/Welder). SOC 51-4121 (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers) and 51-4122 (Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders).
Tuition & Investment
What's Included
Welding Training
- 720 total instructional hours — 120 lecture + 600 lab
- 6 modules × 120 hours each (6 weeks per module)
- 42 quarter credit hours over 36 weeks
- 1:30 Class / 1:20 Lab teacher-to-student ratio
- Residential on-ground delivery (lecture + lab)
- Hands-on training across SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW, and Oxyacetylene processes
- Plasma and oxyfuel cutting; structural welding on 1" mild steel
- Welding symbols and blueprint reading for welders and fitters
- Summit College Certificate of Completion
Offer Insurance
Complete the program, follow the coaching system, and actively execute your job search — and you'll get a qualifying job offer. If you don't, we'll give you up to $9,000 back.
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