Welding and Fabrication Technology

Choose from one of our 7 credentials in welding—we designed them to work together for you, so you can stack them into more advanced certificates or your associate degree. Start where you want, add skills to meet a different job need and if you want, keep going.

The foundation is 1 semester that covers basic skills and safety. That semester counts as the General Welding Certificate (9 credits, 1 semester). From that foundation, you can learn additional skills, in different combinations (the first 9 credits of each certificate are the same across all programs):

• Welding Fabrication (19 credits)—add 9 credits of metalworking and metallurgy to the common base
• Gas Metal Arc Welding (23 credits)—add 12 credits of gas welding and brazing to the common base
• Shielded Metal Arc Welding (23 credits)—add 3 credits of shielded metal arc welding (aka “stick welding”) to the Gas Metal Arc Welding Certificate
• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (23 credits)—add 12 credits of gas tungsten welding and brazing to the common base
• Welding (45 credits)—All the welding and fabrication courses from all the certificates, plus a math class and a certification class.
• Associate in Applied Science (61 credits)—Everything in the Welding Certificate, plus a couple specialized welding courses and a handful of classes in business, communications, fine art or science.

CLC has the largest welding and fabrication laboratory in Illinois located at the Advanced Technology Center (ATC). At 28,000 square feet, we are a true snapshot of what you will find in real-world facilities. The ATC features an extensive variety of arc welding equipment, laser welders and orbital welders. Other equipment include:

• 4 welding robots for tungsten inert gas (TIG) and metal inert gas (MIG) welding
• laser and plasma CNC cutters
• CNC press brakes
• lathes, mills, drill presses, iron workers and various saws

CLC students won first through third place trophies in speed cutting and multiple categories of welding during the American Welding Society's "Behind the Mask" welding competition.

Recent graduate of CLC, Ethan Klisch, used his Welding and Fabrication A.A.S. degree to fabricate a design that matched a client's needs. Using SolidWorks and a CNC plasma cutter, Klisch designed, shaped and welded the components for the National Loon Center's outdoor exhibits. Maybe they'll come back as a client for his future business!