Training at BTC (Lawrence)

By Pat

Date 01-25-2009 03:35

Hi Lawrence,

I am wondering if BTC offers any credit, or non-credit courses on weekends where a person can practice and get instruction on welding techniques, methods, positions, etc that would help a person develop skills in their particular area of interest, and also enable a person to add something of substance to their resumes. I would really like to take a credit course (1 or 2 year?) but because of my work hours I would be limited to a very small part of what was offered that particular semester. So unless there would be a lot of flexibility it would probably take me forever and 10 years to get through even a 1 year course. I am also interested in knowing if a person could get advanced standing for classes already taken for a previous Associates degree at BTC, and if there is such a mechanism for letting someone test out of certain classes if they were already at or above the level required for the course. If any of these things were possible it may help me achieve some credentials in a much shorter time span. I know I have asked a lot of questions, and advanced standing and testing out (if possible) would depend a lot on my skills and what I took and how long ago I took courses. Any information you could provide would be greatly appreciated, and if it helped you could email or call me so I am not filling this forum with information not useful to others.......thanks,

Pat.

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 01-25-2009 22:32 Edited 01-25-2009 22:35

Hi Pat.

In order to shamelessly plug my program, I elect to answer your questions to some extent right here :)

This Saturday (the day you made this post) Was the first day of a full 5 credit Saturday, Flux core class. It is very serious, requiring an 8 hour committment on Saturdays for the length of the semster.. The benefits are a very accellerated format available to folks who have reasons not to attend Mon-Fri. Students (some students) who took this class in the fall were able to go from zero experience to all position unlimited thickness D1.1 certification status with both gas and self shielded FCAW electrodes. It is the only course offering in the welding program that currently does not have a waiting list... You have only missed one session and might be able to start your training without waiting for summer or fall if you get on the stick !!

Our college offers only a 1 year diploma in welding... But in saying that I can assure you will spend more time under the hood in a one year diploma program than you will in a 2 year associates program offered just about anyplace else. Furthermore, in the last year and a half we have more than doubled our capacity by hiring a new full time faculty instructor (who happens to be one of the best metal shapers on the face of the planet) and he offers stand alone process based classes in the afternoons and evenings. Our third (adjunct) instructor, the one teaching the FCAW class on Saturdays is an engineer form Miller electric and a Ferris State grad... Top notch teachers right now at the college.

Advanced standing is very possible... The general ed courses you have taken (and have recorded transcripts for) may be used for advanced standing on required courses in other programs...

Test out is also a possibility in a number of areas.

Feel free to drop by the campus and visit personally, <and view the brand new lab>

Don't worry about wasting space... real questions are what this forum is about.

By Pat

Date 01-27-2009 23:26

Lawrence,

Thank you very much for the informative reply. Because of time constraints I will not be able to enroll in the present course, but I will absolutely be in on the next one. Is there a schedule of when the next Saturday course will start, and if so, will it be the same type of welding or will it differ from the present one? If I had only known about the present one about a month ago there are things I would have put off in order to attend.....................thanks again,

Pat.