3 Affordable & Free Welding Classes in Charlotte NC

There has always been a demand for welders, even though the Job Outlook for this profession won’t increase so much in the next decade, but U.S. BLS reported that there were 431,800 jobs for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers in 2022.

A welder can easily change to another industry without the fear of changing any career, as long as they see a thriving industry, they can join the bandwagon. You will hardly find another career option that gives you more choices of industry like welding. With additional schooling, you can fit into any industry requiring a welding role. And, highly skilled welders who are willing to travel and/or work in hazardous conditions can earn well over $100,000 a year!

However, becoming a welder comes with a price, not really much when compared with other professions, because with a high school diploma or equivalent, you can join the entry-level workforce.

To make it more affordable and easier for you, there are some low-cost and free welding classes in Charlotte NC, that capitalize on excellence and can help you kickstart your welding journey ASAP. Georgia, Philly, Michigan, and even Texas also provide some free & affordable welding classes.

Let’s get started with these classes.

Free Welding Classes in Charlotte NC

There is only one entirely free welding class in Charlotte in the sense that you don’t need to pay any fees. However, there are very affordable ones and those that also provide financial assistance to help offset little or most of the cost depending on some criteria.

1. Goodwill Industries of Greater Charlotte – HVAC Training

• Location: 5301 Wilkinson Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28208
• Cost: Free

HVAC specialists typically perform a specific type of welding called brazing, which involves joining copper or aluminum pipes using a filler material. The HVAC Training provided by Goodwill is totally free to enroll, but you must be either unemployed or underemployed.

The program is meant to prepare you for a career as a skilled heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanic and installer, without going through an entire degree program. It also covers the concepts technicians need to master to safely install, maintain, and troubleshoot HVACR systems.

The program lasts for more than 3 months, and classes are held only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Also, If you successfully complete this training program, you will receive the NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) certification for HVAC Level 1 and the EPA 608 certification. With these certificates and your training, you have a good chance of landing a decent job in the field.

It’s worth noting that even though the program provides a strong foundation if you go further to get more experience and training, it can set you apart from other applicants. Consider internships or entry-level positions to gain more experience.

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You can see that this is the only free welding class in Charlotte NC, but the beauty lies in their exceptional education. 

Let’s now focus on some of the affordable classes.

Affordable Welding Classes in Charlotte NC

2. CPCC – James Turner Institute of Welding Technology

• Location:
  • Mailing Address: PO Box 35009, Charlotte, NC 28235
  • Building Addresses: List of individual building codes and physical addresses (PDF)

By studying at Central Piedmont Community College, you get to save more than $42,000 in tuition and fees over two years. This is because you only pay $76 per credit hour as a North Carolina resident or a maximum of $1,216 for 16 or more credit hours.

Not only that their Welding Program is affordable, but CPCC also provides different kinds of financial assistance, whether it’s merit-based scholarships, need-based grants, veterans affairs, etc.

Their welding technology program is focused on being the leader in workforce development for the Charlotte area and region, meaning that they are not only affordable but also provide excellent Welding education. To provide better training to their students and make them highly employable, their faculty work closely with local and regional industry.

Their welding program also offers extracurricular opportunities via student clubs, such as participation in the annual American Welding Society competition.

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3. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

• Location: 1531 Trinity Church Rd, Concord, NC 28027

As a community college, the state helps pay the tuition of North Carolina residents out of tax dollars, this has made NC residents pay $76 per credit hour, or a maximum charge of $1,216 per semester. Also, with the help of their financial aid, merit-based scholarships, and need-based scholarships, your fees can be reduced even further, making the RCCC welding program almost one of the free welding classes in Charlotte NC.

One of the interesting things about the welding programs provided by RCCC is that you can either choose to pursue their Associate Degree in Welding, or their diploma course, go for a basic certificate, a normal certificate, a High-Performance Fabrication Certificate, an MIG Certificate, or other ones.

Depending on your choice of program or course, you’ll learn consumable and non-consumable electrode welding and cutting processes, robotics and CNC plasma cutting, etc. To provide a more state-of-the-art program, RCCC also uses virtual reality welding machines.

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These are the only two affordable welding classes in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Now we’ve listed these schools, let’s see some of the career opportunities in welding.

Career Opportunities in Welding

 Here are some of the many career opportunities in welding in North Carolina:

• Pipe Welder
• Structural Iron and Steel Welder
• Gas Tungsten Arc Welder
• Shielded Metal Arc Welder
• Gas Metal Arc Welding
• Maintenance Welder
• Production Welder

Graduates of the Welding Technology program may work in a variety of fields including:

• Aerospace
• Aviation
• Construction
• Shipbuilding
• Fabrication
• Fossil Fuels
• Nuclear Power generation
• Shipyards
• Transportation
• Energy

Key Takeaway

You can see that there aren’t many affordable or entirely free welding classes in Charlotte NC, but the available ones provide the top-notch education needed to kickstart your welding career. Whether it is Goodwill’s training that also provides job placement assistance, or other community colleges with both low-cost fees and financial assistance, you can see the path to professional welding is reachable in Charlotte.

Don’t forget that any investment made in your education is an investment in your future.

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