SMAW - Stick Welding
Grossmont Adult School · El Cajon, CA
- Cost
- $650
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
Program names, program descriptions and occupation titles appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 65
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 52 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 100%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
No regional figures for this program's city
El Cajon is not one of the metropolitan or rural areas California names when it publishes wages and openings. A neighbouring area's figures would look exactly like a correct answer, so none are shown and the statewide figures stand alone. About half of California's programs are in this position.
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Job ads may call this: Plumber · Pipefitter · Pipe Welder · Steamfitter
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
- Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
- Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
- Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
- Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
- Typical pay in California
- $74,803per year
- Projected openings
- 48,620
- Projected change
- +8.6%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- An apprenticeship
People usually enter this job through an apprenticeship rather than from a classroom course alone. Ask the provider whether this program leads to one.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 47% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 14% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 14%
- High school diploma
- 47%
- Started college, no degree
- 24%
- Two-year degree
- 9%
- Four-year degree
- 5%
- Master's degree
- 1%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.3%
This counts people already doing this job, across the whole United States. Every other figure on this page is California's, and the federal government publishes no state version of this one. It is what people happen to have, not a rule about who gets hired. A small row does not mean you would be turned away, and a large one is not a promise of a job.
Roofers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Roofer · Roof Mechanic · Commercial Roofer · Industrial Roofer
- Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
- Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
- Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs.
- Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Cement or nail flashing strips of metal or shingle over joints to make them watertight.
- Install partially overlapping layers of material over roof insulation surfaces, using chalk lines, gauges on shingling hatchets, or lines on shingles.
- Typical pay in California
- $65,323per year
- Projected openings
- 20,430
- Projected change
- +6.8%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: No high school diploma — 41% of the people doing this work.
- No high school diploma
- 41%
- High school diploma
- 38%
- Started college, no degree
- 12%
- Two-year degree
- 4%
- Four-year degree
- 4%
- Master's degree
- 0.5%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.1%
Sheet Metal Workers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Field Installer · Sheet Metal Worker · Sheet Metal Mechanic · Sheet Metal Installer
- Inspect individual parts, assemblies, or installations, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, scales, or micrometers.
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
- Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
- Fasten seams or joints together with welds, bolts, cement, rivets, solder, caulks, metal drive clips, or bonds to assemble components into products or to repair sheet metal items.
Show 2 more things this job involves
- Transport prefabricated parts to construction sites for assembly and installation.
- Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks.
- Typical pay in California
- $78,665per year
- Projected openings
- 7,970
- Projected change
- +5.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- An apprenticeship
People usually enter this job through an apprenticeship rather than from a classroom course alone. Ask the provider whether this program leads to one.
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 50% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 13% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 13%
- High school diploma
- 50%
- Started college, no degree
- 23%
- Two-year degree
- 9%
- Four-year degree
- 4%
- Master's degree
- 0.5%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.1%
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
A program that prepares individuals to apply basic engineering principles and technical skills to the design and engineering of welding and joining systems and the implementation of welding processes. Includes instruction in materials science computer-aided design welding design welding processes welding metallurgy automation and robotics and codes inspections testing and quality assurance.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-08-04). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
A comprehensive center is where all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. California's Employment Development Department directs people to CareerOneStop's finder to locate one. Contacting a center before traveling is worth it — the state notes that its own staff are not physically present at every location.
The rule: 20 CFR 678.305 — What is a comprehensive one-stop center? · 20 CFR 678.310 — What is an affiliated site? · California EDD — Office Locator
East County Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 619-319-9675
151 Van Houten AvePCGEl Cajon, CA 92020about 6.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am- 5:00pm
Metro Career CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 619-319-9675 and 619-266-4253
4389 Imperial AvenueSan Diego, CA 92113about 14.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Has a veterans' representative
South Bay Career CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 619-319-9675
333 H StreetSouth Bay Career Bldg. Suite 1055Chula Vista, CA 91910about 15.8 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5 :00p.m.
Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →