Our list of welding schools in Alaska offers a variety of options in welding education and welder training. Be sure to do your due diligence in researching any welding school in Alaska that you intened on pursuing. Our site, Class One Welding has no affiliation with any of the schools listed below. If you would like a welding school or educational center added to our Alaska welding school list please contact us or leave a comment at the bottom of the page!
Other Helpful Information & Articles
- How To Become A Welder – See if a welding career is right for you and the steps taken to become a welder.
- Welding School Cost – See the costs of attending different welding schools
- Welder Salaries – A real world look at how much welders make.
- Top Welding Schools – What are the best welding schools in the USA?
- Tips For Choosing A Welding School – Learn what to look for in a GOOD welding school
Alaskans are fortunate to have so many good welding schools available to them, this is mostly do to the mining, gas and oil industries that are located throughout the state. Wages are also much higher in the state of Alaska for welders than in the lower 48 states even when cost of living is included.
List Of Welding Schools In Alaska
Click on the name of the welding school to go to their website for more information.
Northern Industrial Training
1740 Terrilou Ct
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 357-6400
Notes: I really love what this welding school has to offer to anyone wanting to enter the welding career field. They offer everything from pipe to structural welding, fabrication welding, combination welding and welder certification testing. You can also rent booth time if you need practice or are wanting to take a certification test.
Charter College
2221 E Northern Lights Blvd #120
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 277-1000
Notes: Charter College in Anchorage, Alaska has a great 10 month program that covers everything from torch cutting, brazing, pipe welding, fitting and plate welding. You will gain enough experience in Flux Cored, MIG and stick welding to be able to to pass a welding certification test.
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Dr
Anchorage, AK
Phone: (907) 786-1800
Notes: This may be one of the best welding programs in the state of Alaska. After completing their welding and nondestructive testing program you will have earned an Associate of Applied Science degree. Having the knowledge and skills of welding and nondestructive testing will put you in an excellent position to become a weld inspector or supervisor in the future. You can take a look at a course guide here.
Alaska Works Partnership Inc
1413 Hyder St
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 569-4711
Notes: The Alaska Works Partnership specializes in training you to work on pipelines. This is not a full fledged welding school but I thought it was worth a mention as they do offer some welding and ironworking training. They also have a program called, Helmets to Hardhats . The program offers transition training for US military service members.
University of Alaska Southeast
1332 Seward Ave
Sitka, AK 99835
Phone: (800) 478-6653
Notes: The University of Alaska Southeast does offer welding classes where you can earn an occupational endorsement. The classes that are offered consist of TIG, stick, MIG and metal cutting.
Other Welding Training In Alaska – Welding Apprenticeship
If you are not interested in or are unable to attend a traditional welding school you may find that an apprenticeship is the next best thing. Nearly all apprenticeships pay you for on-the-job training as well as classroom education. Most apprenticeships are offered through unions and come with significant benefits over working for private companies. Wages and health benefits are often much better than what most companies will offer.
Local 2520 Welding Apprenticeship
825 East 8th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501
Contact: Apprenticeship Coordinator
Phone: 907-272-7577
Fax: 907-277-8967
The Piledrivers, Bridge, Dock Builders and Divers union accepts applications every year for their apprenticeship program. While this not a a “welding only” apprenticeship a good portion does involve welding. Apprenticeships can be a great way to learn a skill while making a decent wage. During the apprenticeship you will undergo on the job training as well as shop and classroom time.
The apprenticeship is a total of four years and will also require you to have at least 5,200 hours of OJT (On the Job Training) and over 100 hours of classroom based training. Being in good physical shape is a must as most of the work that you will perform is outside and very strenuous. Working in confined areas and at heights of over 100 feet are also fairly common in this industry.
Local 23 Sheet Metal Workers
1307 East 75th Ave. Suite #4
Anchorage, AK 99518-3528
The Sheet Metal Works Union in Alaska has apprenticeships that include welding and metal fabrication. First year apprenticeships will start at $20.40 an hour plus benefits, after completing your four-year training program you’ll earn $40.79 per hour. The approximate length of the apprenticeship is about 8000 hours and includes on-the-job training as well as classroom work.
You will be working with metals such as galvanized iron, stainless steel and aluminum. You will learn how to utilize TIG and MIG welding on a variety of metal thickness from .015 inches to one inche.
Conclusion
Whether you choose to attend any of the welding schools in Alaska or simply join a welding apprenticeship program it is important to keep in mind that welding is a highly skilled job that takes years of experience to master. Another important point to keep in mind is that becoming a certified welder is very important to your career. Certified welder’s earn a much higher wage, have more opportunities available to them and will be more likely promoted to positions like a weld inspector or supervisor.