4 Best Welding Schools in Denver, CO

About the School

The Community College of Denver is the third largest of the 13 institutions in the Colorado Community College System.

Established in 1967, they have more than 8,000 students taking their in-classroom and online classes.

Located on the original site of the 1858 town of Auraria, they are home to the former Temple Emmanuel, currently known as Emmanuel Gallery, which is the city’s oldest standing structure.

For more than 50 years now, they have stayed true to their vision of supporting every member of their community to attain the education that they desire.

They are committed to providing various opportunities for high-quality higher education.

Courses Offered

There are different welding programs offered, and students can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree and/or various welding certificates.

The Associate of Science in Fabrication Welding is a program designed to prepare students with entry-level welding skills necessary in operations.

It teaches shielded metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, oxyacetylene cutting and welding, carbon arc cutting, and plasma arc cutting.

It takes 4 semesters to complete and offers 65 total credits.

After graduation, students should be ready to test for the limited thickness Welder Qualification tests under the American Welding Society D1.1 Structural code for SMAW, GTAW, and GMAW certification.

They can also apply to various jobs, such as construction, production, or fabrication welders.

Currently, the five fabrication welding certificates offered are in:

Basic Welding

• This course teaches entry-level knowledge and skills in cutting and joining processes, and blueprint reading.
• It has 17 total credits.

Intermediate Welding

• This course covers entry-level knowledge and skills in cutting and joining processes, blueprint reading, introduction to gas tungsten arc welding, basic shielded metal arc welding, and introduction to gas metal arc welding.
• It takes two semesters to compete and has a total of 29 credits.

ARC Welder

• This course is designed to educate and train students in entry-level welding and cutting to be able to do shielded metal arc welding steps and processes.
• It takes two semesters to complete and offers 37 total credits.

Fabrication Welder

• This course prepares students to perform entry-level welding and cutting in operations that use oxyacetylene welding and cutting, carbon arc cutting, gas tungsten arc welding, gas metal arc welding, plasma arc cutting, and shielded metal arc welding.
• It takes three semesters to complete and offers a total of 53 credits.
• Upon completion, it allows for testing the American Welding Society’s SMAW and MIG/TIG certifications.

Creative Metalworking

• This course is suitable for students who have an interest in both welding and art.
• It covers art and design theory, welding knowledge and skills for the fabrication of sculptural and functional pieces, conceptualizing and designing, creating layouts and references, and project fabrication.
• It takes two semesters to complete and offers 33 total credits.

There are also welding workshops offered:

• Women in Welding Workshop – This is a one-Saturday session (8 hours) and costs $150.
• Five-Evening Welding Workshop Open Lab – This consists of five sessions and costs $394.
• Fifteen-Evening Qualification Workshop – This includes 15 sessions and costs $1,440.

About the School

Lincoln College of Technology has provided premier education in a variety of trades for the last 35 years.

Their mission is to offer a supportive, safe, and accessible learning environment to students so that they can work in in-demand careers and be valuable members of their communities.

Across the country, Lincoln Tech has multiple campuses.

There are locations in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas.

The Denver campus in Colorado serves as the flagship facility for essential training in automotive, diesel, HVAC, and welding.

Courses Offered

The different Welding Programs train students to become skilled welders.

They feature the most commonly used welding processes in the industry — Metal, Inert Gas (MIG), Gas, Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW).

They also cover Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW).

Taught by experienced and AWS-certified welders, the two diploma programs are as follows:

Welding and Metal Fabrication Technology

• It takes approximately 34 weeks or 720 instructional hours to complete.
• It has 27.5 total semester credit hours.
• Classes are offered during the day, afternoon, and evening.
• It covers Welding and Cutting Fundamentals, Basic Arc Welding Procedures, SMAW Welding, GMAW/FCAW (MIG) Plate Welding, GTAW (TIG) Welding Procedures, and GMAW/GTAW Fabrication Processes.

Welding Technology

• It takes approximately 43 weeks or 960 instructional hours to complete.
• It has 36.5 total semester credit hours.
• Classes are during the day, afternoon, and evening.
• It covers Welding and Cutting Fundamentals, Basic Arc Welding Procedures, SMAW Welding, GMAW/FCAW (MIG) Plate Welding, GTAW (TIG) Welding Procedures, and GMAW/GTAW Fabrication Processes.
• It also features SMAW Pipe Welding, GMAW/FCAW (MIG) Pipe Welding, and GMAW/GTAW Fabrication Processes.
• Upon completion, students should have working knowledge and skills for structural or pipe welder positions.

About the School

Emily Griffith Technical College is a public area technical college in the Colorado Community College System.

Founded in 1916, they offer postsecondary and adult education.

Their goal is to provide educational opportunities for anyone who wants to learn.

They want to get rid of the barriers in the education system and make education and job opportunities equally accessible to all.

From Career Technical Education certificate programs to Apprenticeships, they strive to motivate, inspire, and support students to be prepared for their career aspirations.

They hold several accreditations, including by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education and the Apprenticeship and Related Instruction – Federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training.

They have three campuses in the state.

The Main Campus is located on Lincoln St., the Branch Campus is on Osage St., and the Multimedia and Video Production at Denver Community Media is found on Arapahoe.

Courses Offered

There are two welding programs available — Welding 1 and Welding 2.

Welding 1 provides hands-on experience in various welding and cutting processes.

It introduces the different types of metal, welding applications, welding positions, cutting and fabrication equipment and tools, testing, and inspection.

It aims to develop critical welding skills, basic welding metallurgy, equipment setup, and safety.

Students can choose to enroll in the full-time program, which takes 8 months to complete, or the part-time program, which takes 15 months.

Upon completion, they get a certificate and can apply to jobs in aerospace, ironworking, metal fabrication, electronics welding, materials science, and ornamental fabrication.

The cost of the program is approximately $11,672.

Welding 2, on the other hand, focuses on advanced welding techniques.

It gives students plenty of hands-on experience working with various materials using a wide range of techniques.

It teaches key skills in the assembly, fabrication, and installation of metal pipes, pipe fittings, and other related materials.

It is a full-time program that takes 5 months to complete and costs approximately $8,278.

Upon completion, students receive a certificate and can look for jobs as pipe fitters, iron workers, pipeline welders, boilermakers, and metal fabrication specialists.

About the School

The Colorado Sheet Metal Workers’ Joint Apprenticeship and Training School is a trade school and training center that provides instruction in a wide variety of trades.

They welcome students who want to earn while they learn.

They grant not only college credits towards an Associate’s Degree and a Journeyman certification upon completion but also wages and benefits.

Their education and training sessions are led by expert instructors, and do not cost the students anything — no tuition and no fees.

Unlike many other schools and programs, their graduates possess the necessary skills and certifications to take on high-demand jobs with absolutely no student loan debt.

They have three locations in Colorado — Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction.

Courses Offered

The Welding Program promises to open many doors for students wanting to pursue a career in the sheet metal industry.

As an Apprentice majoring in Welding, you will:

• Study metal composition
• Learn and apply multiple fabrication techniques
• Work with iron, stainless steel, plastic, aluminum, titanium, copper, and other materials
• Read and interpret blueprints
• Work in different locations, such as power plants, food processing plants, fabrication facilities, underwater, semi-conductor plants, skyscrapers, and nuclear power plants.

Taught by American Welding Society (AWS) certified instructors, students receive a certification in AWS upon completion and can start looking for job opportunities in the Sheet Metal industry.