Comprehensive Welding SMAW Structural Steel Program
Welding Certification Center · Pomona, CA
- Cost
- $15,965
- Length
- 17 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 81%
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
- 242
- Finished the program
- 86%Based on 177 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
- 81%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
- $17,810A single quarter of earnings, roughly three months, not a yearly salary. Do not compare it directly with the yearly pay shown for the occupation.Typical California program: $10,900 of 1,339 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.
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
Pomona 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.
Sheet Metal Workers
Job ads may call this: Field Installer · Sheet Metal Worker · Sheet Metal Mechanic · Sheet Metal Installer
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- 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.
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 — 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%
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.
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Wirer · Brazer · Welder · Solderer
- Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
- Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
- Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
- Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
Show 3 more things this job involves
- Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
- Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
- Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
- Typical pay in California
- $59,385per year
- Projected openings
- 28,860
- Projected change
- +3.2%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
What people in this job actually studied
Most common: High school diploma — 48% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 18% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 18%
- High school diploma
- 48%
- Started college, no degree
- 22%
- Two-year degree
- 9%
- Four-year degree
- 3%
- Master's degree
- 0.4%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0.2%
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
This program prepares the student by teaching them the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to weld to industry standards using the stated process of welding, in accordance with applicable welding codes. Topics will include the safe use and operation of welding machines, hand and power tools, and personal protective equipment. Additionally, proper welding technique, basic metallurgy, and recognition of proper welds versus those containing discontinuities and defects will be covered. Lastly, students will receive extensive hand son welding experience in an effort to hone their skills. Upon successful completion students will be given the opportunity to take a performance welding exam to become certified welder in accordance with welding codes.
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
Pomona Valley Comprehensive AJCCComprehensive center
Phone: 909-242-7999
1460 E. Holt AvenueThe Village at Indian Hill Suite 130Pomona, CA 91767about 0.6 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am-5 pm
Has a veterans' representative
West Valley America`s Job Center of CaliforniaComprehensive center
Phone: 909-941-6500
9650 9th StreetWest Valley Workforce Development Department Suite ARancho Cucamonga, CA 91730about 7.8 miles away
Hours: Mon - Fri. 8:00a.m -5:00p.m
Has a veterans' representative
Covina AJCCAffiliate site
Phone: 626-667-2601
1115 E. Puente StreetTri-Community Adult School BuildingCovina, CA 91724about 7.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 4:30pm 0pm Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
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 →