Welding: Metal Fabrication (Certificate of Achievement)

Cost: $1,870
Length: 54 weeks
Working 6 months later: 67%

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: 470

Finished the program: 28%Based on 74 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: 67%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: $6,145A 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.

Where California publishes a separate figure for Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara 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 year
Projected openings: 6,220
Projected change: +5.5%
Usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent

California publishes no separate figure for this job in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA. The statewide figures above are the only ones there are.

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.

Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

Pay, hiring, and what people studied

Job ads may call this: Maintenance Man · Building Mechanic · Maintenance Worker · Maintenance Engineer

Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions.
Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions.
Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges.
Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices.
Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers.

Typical pay in California: $58,612per yearSanta Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: $51,821
Projected openings: 151,500Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: 2,080
Projected change: +7.3%
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 — 43% of the people doing this work.

California says this job usually needs: High school diploma or equivalent. 11% of the people doing it went less far than that.

No high school diploma: 11%
High school diploma: 43%
Started college, no degree: 26%
Two-year degree: 12%
Four-year degree: 7%
Master's degree: 1%
Doctorate or professional degree: 0.3%

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 yearSanta Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: $58,306
Projected openings: 28,860Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA: 260
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.

The certificate in welding technology is designed to provide comprehensive occupational training in all common types of welding methods as related to today's welding fabrication industries. This program will provide students with manipulative skills and technical knowledge required to perform in the areas of oxyacetylene, shielded metal arc, gas metal arc (G.M.A.W. and T.I.G.) welding processes. Also included in this program are hand cutting and semi-automatic cutting techniques. Certification tests may be taken. Employment opportunities available are welder, welder mechanic, maintenance welder, construction welder, pipe welder, and welding inspectors.

Provider's website →

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

America`s Job Center of California Workforce Resource CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 805-614-1550
1410 South BroadwaySuite ESanta Maria, CA 93454about 11.8 miles away
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Has a veterans' representative

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 →