Welding FAQ

Are you considering a career in welding? The School of Welding at MTI offers two welding training programs: Welding and Welding & Pipefitting. These programs equip you with the skills you need to start a welding career.  Here’s the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions to help guide you as you explore a career in the welding field.

Completing a welding training program or receiving on-the-job training is a great first step. The Welding Program at MTI can be completed in less than a year and is ideal if you’re looking to learn the welding skills you need to start your career as an entry-level welder. MTI also offers a Welding & Pipefitting Program to give you an additional 10 weeks of pipefitting training.

To learn more, check out How to Become a Welder.

Being a welder requires technical skills training. MTI’s Welding Program features hands-on training from experienced instructors in a workshop dedicated to welding. 

To learn more, check out How Long Does it Take to Become a Welder.

MTI offers a 7-month Welding Program and a 10-month Welding & Pipefitting Program.

MTI’s Welding Program is a 30-week welding training program that trains students in: 

  • Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
  • Gas Tungsten Arc Gas Welding (GTAW/TIG)
  • Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG)
  • Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW)
  • Field & Shop Safety
  • Properties & Cutting Techniques of Metal
  • Welding Metallurgy / Vocabulary
  • Basic Blueprint Readings
  • MTI Welding Certification Tests

During MTI’s Welding & Pipefitting Program students will complete 30 weeks of welding training and an additional 10-weeks of pipefitting training, which includes basic and advanced pipefitting training:

  • Learn proper rigging & pipe hanger install
  • Pull measurements for pipe runs
  • Read ISO drawings
  • Measure/fabricate 45-degree offsets
  • Introduction to T’s and takeoffs
  • Increase difficulty of pipe runs
  • Fabricate 30 & 60-degree offsets
  • Fabricate/weld saddles
  • Run pipe A to B economically
  • Learn more difficult ISO’s
  • Explain rolling offsets
  • Fabricate odd-angled fittings
  • Execute multiple pipe runs/various angles

All of the required tools and equipment needed for MTI’s Welding Program and Welding and Pipefitting Program are included in the tuition and fees.

The median annual wage for welders in May 2023 was $48,940. A welder’s salary is likely to increase as they gain experience, as the top 10% of welders were reported to earn more than $72,970 a year.

There are many types of welders and welding employers. For example:

  • General welding roles: pipefitter, boilermaker, structural welder 
  • Green jobs: construction and manufacturing
  • Traveling welding jobs: shipbuilding & repair, pipeline installation, motorsports, underwater welding, industrial shutdowns 

To learn more, check out What is a Welder?

Welders and pipefitters work closely together but have distinct roles and skills. Welding is integral to pipefitting, but both require a level of education, skills, and potentially certifications. Welders join and cut metal, while pipefitters install, maintain, and repair high-pressure piping systems for different mediums.

To learn more, check out What does a Welder do?

Not all welders are required to travel, however certain sectors of the welding profession may require travel, such as underwater welding, ship building, military support, or pipe installation. 

To learn more about being a travel welder, check out How to Become a Traveling Welder.

Most welders work full time, which is 40 hours per week. But like many other jobs, hours are dependent on the employer, the job site, the project, and several other factors.

Welders wear masks to protect themselves from eye injuries, welding sunburns, exposure to UV radiation and particles that come loose during welding. The proper safety gear, including a face plate and eye filter, can help protect you from these types of injuries.

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