- Structural Steel & Pipe Welding
Become a Pipe Welder in only 18 weeks!
- Monday-Friday 4 pm -10 pm
- 540 contact hours (54 CEUs)
- No welding experience necessary
Program Highlights
Pipe Welding Industry Overview In this increasingly competitive job market, companies demand the most talented and skilled workers. Pipe welders who have truly honed their craft are a rare commodity, in high demand. Our recent graduates are making $2,000 - $3,500 per week including overtime and per diem. Our program provides a broad background in welding with many employment opportunities in the field of welding.
The Black River Technical College Advanced Pipe Welding Program will teach you the skills you need to get on the job quickly and start gaining the experience that will help you refine your skills and become one of the specialists companies are seeking. The profession of welding allows a person to fit into many different career paths due to the demand for those proficient in the art of welding. The American Welding Society reported (in Spring 2011) a shortfall of nearly 200,000 entry level welders and these numbers are expected to continue to grow. Becoming a pipe welder can yield many benefits including travel, independence, a good paycheck, and job security. Our graduates who have worked hard in class, sought jobs immediately after program completion.
Overview of the Pipe Welding Program & Classroom The program starts with fundamentals and ends with advanced concepts. Thus, the program can serve both beginners and individuals with welding experience who want to improve skills and pay-grade. Due to the curriculum being progressive, a student will be exposed to many areas of welding through classroom instruction, as well as, hands on experience in the welding lab.
The daily classroom curriculum will be structured as follows:
- Orientation
- Welding and construction safety
- Structural and pipe welding theory
- Blue print reading
- Employment training techniques
Each day will be composed of a 1 hour classroom lecture and 5 hours of hands-on training in the lab. The classroom is a state of the art facility with many technological advances in the field of welding. The equipment used is green conscious and environmentally friendly. A specialized filtering system with extraction arms insures the release of hazardous fumes and vapors are a minimal risk to the student and the environment.
Welding Program Monday - Friday 4 pm-10 pm (540 contact hours = 54 CEUs) Participants will attend class every day (Monday-Friday) for a total of 30 classroom hours per week for 18 weeks. There may be occasions when class will be rescheduled to a different day or time in order to optimize use of equipment.
Course Objective
This is an uphill welding program that will train individuals to become proficient and employable in the field of structural steel and pipe welding. This program will prepare graduates for journeyman level positions as structural steel and pipe welders in the construction industry consisting of new construction, shutdowns, turn arounds, and add-ons in various plants including petro-chemical facilities, power plants, pulp and paper mills refineries and more.
Welding processes covered in the program
- Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW or stick)
- Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW or TIG)
- Gas Metal arc welding (GMAW or MIG)
- Flux core arc welding (FCAW or flux core)
Our welding program is eco-friendly
- New inverter-based welding machines greatly reduce energy consumption
- Point of contact filtered fume extraction
- Steel recycling
- Gas conservation
Tuition & Fees
$8,500 - Includes gear, supplies, books, & lab fees.
- Financial assistance is available to eligible participants through Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarships, student loans, private scholarships.
- Sallie Mae loans available to qualified applicants based on your credit score
- Payment plan available
- The Department of Workforce funding is available to qualified individuals for TAA.
The course must be paid in full 6 weeks before class starts.
Who Should Attend
Anyone who is interested in working in the pipe welding field.
Brief Course Outline
This program is broken into six, progressive, three-week phases that build upon each other. You must pass all portions of each phase in order to move on to the next phase.
- Phase I: T-Plate (7018) flat, vertical, and overhead positions.
- Phase II: Beveled plate, open butt (6010/7018) horizontal, vertical and overhead positions.
- Phase III: Pipe, open butt (6010/7018) 2G, 5G, 6G
- Phase IV: Pipe, open butt (TIG/7018) 2G, 5G, 6G
- Phase V: MIG/flux core t-plate, bevel plate with backing
- Phase VI: TIG/7018 small bore pipe/tubing
Space is limited to 13 people per class
Contact us as soon as possible to begin the interview process. For more information stop by the Continuing Education Department on the Paragould Campus to pick up a program packet or call to request a packet be mailed to you. This course requires an application and interview process. Please call to set an appointment for your interview.