Structural Welding Course
Cal-Trade Welding School · Modesto, CA
- Cost
- $7,895
- Length
- 9 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 66%
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
- 34
Small group — treat with caution
- Finished the program
- 95%Based on 22 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
- 66%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
- $12,000A 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.
Shrinking -20%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Where California publishes a separate figure for Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Job ads may call this: Fitter · Ironworker · Tower Hand · Iron Worker
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
- Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.
- Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
- Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope.
Show 3 more things this job involves
- Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels.
- Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members.
- Cut, bend, or weld steel pieces, using metal shears, torches, or welding equipment.
- Typical pay in California
- $78,439per yearModesto MSA: $50,059
- Projected openings
- 6,220Modesto MSA: 50
- 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 — 48% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 10% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 10%
- High school diploma
- 48%
- Started college, no degree
- 27%
- Two-year degree
- 11%
- Four-year degree
- 4%
- Master's degree
- 0%
- 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.
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Fitter · Fabricator · Layout Man · Ship Fitter
- Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
- Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
- Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools.
- Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
- Tack-weld fitted parts together.
- Typical pay in California
- $58,904per year
- Projected openings
- 2,460
- Projected change
- -20%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
California publishes no separate figure for this job in Modesto MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.
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 — 47% of the people doing this work.
California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 16% of the people doing it went less far than that.
- No high school diploma
- 16%
- High school diploma
- 47%
- Started college, no degree
- 19%
- Two-year degree
- 10%
- Four-year degree
- 7%
- Master's degree
- 1%
- Doctorate or professional degree
- 0%
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
Welding Technology/Welder. A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to join or cut metal surfaces. Includes instruction in innershield, stick, and dualshield welding using steel, stainless steel and aluminum metals.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/608076c373fb1611b2d8cc44/t/61d33618817560021e775614/1641231897881/School+Catalog+-+2022.pdf
We could not reach this page when we checked on 2026-08-04.
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
Modesto American Job Center of California / EDD Workforce Services Branch (WSB) & Stanislaus County Workforce DevelopmentComprehensive center
Phone: 209-576-6118 or 209-558-WORK (9675)
629 12th StreetModesto, CA 95354about 1 miles away
Hours: Modesto AJCC - Monday - Friday 8am-5:00pm; Partner - StanWorkforce - Monday - Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
Has a veterans' representative
Tracy WorkNet CenterAffiliate site
Phone: 209-831-5012
340 W. 4th StreetTracy, CA 95376about 24.1 miles away
Hours: Monday, Tuesday Thursday, Friday 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. (Wednesdays closed at 2:30pm)
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 →