If you live in Pennsylvania and you want to start a career in welding, you’ve come to the right place.
As a welder, you will spend your workday joining metals using a variety of techniques and processes.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, welders in Pennsylvania earn $43,910 on average, as of May 2023, higher than the national average for this profession.
Although requirements vary depending on the employer, before being ready to start your welding career, the first step is to complete your high school education or equivalent, and then technical and on-the-job training that teaches you the skills needed for this profession:
- Identify the materials used in welding and their application
- Reading welding symbols
- Types of welding joints performed in pipe welding
- Welding processes
- Welding safety
- And more
Most programs teach the following processes:
- SMAW/Stick
- GTAW/TIG
- GMAW/MIG
- FCAW/Dual Shield
Program duration varies between a few months and a few years, depending on the school and the format you choose.
Training options are available for adults and high school students who want a jump start on postsecondary education by taking dual enrollment classes.
We invite you to read our list of the best welding schools in Pennsylvania and choose the format that best meets your needs.
#1Lincoln Tech
About the School
Lincoln Tech offers welding and fabrication training in Pennsylvania.
The Levittown campus offers Welding and Fabrication Technology with an introduction to pipe welding.
Courses Offered
The program covers the following skills:
- Welding and cutting fundamentals
- Arc welding and plate welding processes
- Fabrication processes
- Shielded metal arc welding
- Gas metal arc welding
- Flux core arc welding
- Shielded metal arc welding
- Gas Tungsten arc welding
Students gain hands-on experience with Shielded Metal Arc Welding, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding, Gas Metal Arc Welding, and Flux Core Arc Welding, plus advanced training in pipefitting fundamentals, pipe layout, fitting, and fabrication.
The booths and labs mirror real job-site conditions.
Day, afternoon, and evening programs are available.
Contact Information
- Address: 311 Veterans Highway, Levittown, PA 19056
- Phone: (215) 335-0800
- Website: https://www.lincolntech.edu
#2Lancaster County Career & Technology Center
About the School
Lancaster County Career & Technology Center offers hands-on training that prepares students for employment by equipping them with real-world skills.
The center provides two full-time welding programs:
- Welding Technology
- Advanced Welding
The following part-time programs are also available at the center:
- Basic Welding
- Electric Arc Welding
- MIG Welding
- TIG Welding
The Basic Welding program provides an overview of the fundamentals of the welding trade:
- Electric Arc Welding
- MIG Welding
- TIG welding
- Oxygen/acetylene burning for welders
The Welding Technology full-time program gives students the opportunity to assemble and fabricate specialized metal products, practice welds needed for weld certification, use modern power equipment, and interpret fabrication blueprints.
Contact Information
- Address: 1730 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, PA 17584
- Phone: 717-464-7050
- Website: https://lancasterctc.edu
#3New Castle School of Trades
About the School
New Castle School of Trades is a hands-on welding school in Pennsylvania.
It offers a Combination Welding program that provides students with a wide range of experience working with a variety of welding techniques and metals to prepare for an entry-level welder position.
This comprehensive course provides graduates with a well-rounded background in various welding applications and techniques based on ASME and AWS specifications.
The Combination Welding program takes 50 weeks to complete.
It is available for both day and evening training.
Students learn ARC welding, MIG welding, TIG welding, and the various subsets of each of these types.
The program also covers blueprint reading, fabrication, grinding, and welding math.
Contact Information
- Address: 4117 Pulaski Rd, New Castle, PA, 16101
- Phone: (724) 788-4417
- Website: https://www.ncstrades.edu
#4Greater Alton Career & Technology Center
About the School
Greater Alton Career & Technology Center offers a variety of high school and adult education programs.
The Welding Technology program available at the center can be completed in three years by high school students and is open to both male and female students.
Courses Offered
The following entry-level employment skills are included in the curriculum:
- Oxyacetylene welding
- Brazing
- Oxy-fuel cutting
- Air carbon arc cutting
- Plasma arc cutting
- Shielded metal arc welding
- Gas metal arc welding
- Flux-cored arc welding
- Blueprint reading
- And more
GATCT students can also get a jump start on postsecondary education by taking advantage of the various dual enrollment opportunities available.
Contact Information
- Address: 1500 Fourth Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602
- Phone: 814-941-TECH
- Website: https://www.gactc.edu
#5Lenape Technical School
About the School
Lenape Technical School offers a Welding Technology curriculum that provides excellent preparation for students who want to become welders, welding engineers, and other related professions.
The following certification tests are available:
- American Welding Society SENSE Entry Level I–Welding Technology
- AWS- EG2
- National Occupational Competency Testing Institute
- O.S.H.A. Safety Training
- Bloodborne and Airborne Pathogens Certification
- And more
Courses Offered
The courses included in the Welding program are:
- Oxy-Fuel Cutting
- Oxy-Fuel Welding
- Intermediate blueprint reading
- Gas Metal Arc Welding
- Plasma Arc
- Welding Inspection
- Cross Training in Precision Machining and Pre-engineering
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 2215 Chaplin Avenue, Ford City, PA 16226
- Phone: (724) 763-7116
- Website: https://www.lenape.k12.pa.us
#6JWF Industries
About the School
JWF Industries offers a welding school that provides in-house training for all new hires and continuing education for current employees.
Each spring, JWF interviews high school juniors who are currently enrolled in a state-approved welding program at one of the area vocational schools.
Students who are selected are required to participate in a four or five-week in-house training program.
The program is hosted in a state-of-the-art classroom.
Students must pass welding certifications before transitioning to a production position in JWF Industries’ main facility.
The program is available at no cost to those enrolled in the program.
Trainees receive incentives after passing specific welding certifications associated with three apprenticeship levels: production, fabrication, and lead.
Contact Information
- Address: 84 Iron Street, Johnstown, PA 15906
- Phone: 800-225-WELD
- Website: https://www.jwfi.com
#7Westmoreland County Community College
About the School
Westmoreland County Community College offers a degree and a diploma in Welding Engineering Technology.
The program provides students with access to state-of-the-art technology and machines to help them learn the skills needed in the welding field.
Classes are smaller, and instructors are available for further academic explanation when needed.
Welding courses include practice for certifications offered in-house by the AWS-Accredited Testing Facility.
Courses Offered
Students who wish to graduate with a diploma take classes such as:
- Welding I
- Blueprint Reading
- Industrial Maintenance
- Welding Codes
- AutoCAD
- Welding Metallurgy
- Metal Fabrication
- SMAW
- GMAW
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, PA 15697
- Phone: 724-925-4000 or 1-800-262-2103
- Website: https://westmoreland.edu
#8Penn Commercial Business | Technical School
About the School
Penn Commercial Business | Technical School offers a 12-month Welding Technology Diploma program.
Classes are available in person at the school.
This program serves students in Southwest Pennsylvania as well as students from Wheeling to Morgantown, West Virginia.
The welding technology program emphasizes the development of real hands-on skills in layout and fitting.
Courses Offered
The program tests students in three areas:
- Pipe welding
- Stick plate welding
- Flux core welding
The following areas are also covered:
- Welding Safety, Tools, and Equipment
- Blueprint Reading
- Pipe Welding
- Layout and Fabrication
- Gas Metal Arc Welding
- Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
- Shielded Metal Arc Welding
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 242 Oak Spring Road, Washington, PA 15301
- Phone: (724) 222-5330
- Website: https://penncommercial.edu
#9Fortis Colleges & Institutes
About the School
Fortis Colleges & Institutes offer Welding Technology training programs designed to train men and women and prepare them with the skills for entry into the field of welding as industrial welders, welding apprentices, or check welders.
The comprehensive curriculum balances traditional classroom instruction that equips students with the skills needed for welding calculations, understanding welding symbols, and how to read and interpret print designs.
Students also learn a variety of welding topics that include the methods of destructive and non-destructive quality testing used in welding.
Classes are kept small, and the training includes hands-on instruction to make sure each student gets lots of practice.
Contact Information
- Address: 517 Ash Street, Scranton, PA 18509
- Phone: (570) 558-1818
- Website: https://www.fortis.edu
#10Erie Institute of Technology
Erie Institute of Technology offers programs in many different areas to suit different interests and talents.
Courses Offered
The Welding Technology program at Erie Institute of Technology teaches the common welding processes and applications at foundation, intermediate, and advanced levels.
Students take classes that include blueprint reading, gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, pipe welding, and welding fabrication.
To provide students with hands-on experience, the school has 26 welding booths equipped with Lincoln Electric Welding equipment.
The curriculum includes courses on:
- Strategies for Success
- Mathematics for Welding
- Introduction to Arc Welding Processes
- Blueprint Reading
- Gas Metal Arc Welding
- Welding Metallurgy
- Pipe Code and Welding Techniques
- Fabrication Project
- And more
Contact Information
- Address: 940 Millcreek Mall, Erie, Pennsylvania 16565
- Phone: (814) 787-0942
- Website: https://erieit.edu
Schools Summary Table
Welding Average Salary in Pennsylvania
Estimated Earnings Range:| Item | Percent |
|---|---|
|
$38K
|
|
|
$53K
|
|
|
$67K
|
Welding Salary by Metro Area in Pennsylvania
| Metro Area | Employed | Avg. Annual | Avg. Hourly | Top 10% | Bottom 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 740 | $54,870 | $26.38 | $71,490 | $40,680 |
| Altoona, PA | 140 | $49,920 | $24.00 | $57,790 | $40,090 |
| Chambersburg, PA | 460 | $54,780 | $26.34 | $71,070 | $43,580 |
| Erie, PA | 640 | $53,770 | $25.85 | $80,890 | $37,680 |
| Gettysburg, PA | 70 | $53,560 | $25.75 | $69,350 | $46,450 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 400 | $55,150 | $26.51 | $70,660 | $38,600 |
| Johnstown, PA | 180 | $46,820 | $22.51 | $61,690 | $37,130 |
| Lancaster, PA | 1,060 | $51,870 | $24.94 | $62,400 | $38,550 |
| Lebanon, PA | 300 | $50,270 | $24.17 | $58,570 | $38,470 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,030 | $57,330 | $27.56 | $74,030 | $41,560 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 2,740 | $53,250 | $25.60 | $69,700 | $38,440 |
| Reading, PA | 840 | $52,800 | $25.39 | $64,220 | $40,060 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 500 | $49,810 | $23.95 | $60,100 | $37,990 |
| State College, PA | 110 | $49,130 | $23.62 | $59,020 | $36,670 |
| Williamsport, PA | 220 | $53,580 | $25.76 | $69,920 | $37,150 |
| York-Hanover, PA | 750 | $52,500 | $25.24 | $64,430 | $38,860 |
* Employment opportunities may differ based on your location.
Final Thoughts
Before being ready to apply for your first job as a welder, you have to become equipped with the technical skills required for this profession.
The schools included in our list teach students the skills needed for this profession through a combination of classroom and hands-on training.
Now that you have read our selection of the best welding programs in Pennsylvania, it’s time to continue the research and choose the program that best meets your learning style and career aspirations.
