Combination Welding
Cal-Trade Welding School · Modesto, CA
- Cost
- $13,495
- Length
- 18 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
- 192
- Finished the program
- 96%Based on 197 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
- $11,440A 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 Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
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.
What this pays in Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $48,540 | $64,994 | $117,612 |
| Across California | $48,633 | $74,803 | $134,652 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $74,803per yearModesto MSA: $58,253
- Projected openings
- 48,620Modesto MSA: 640
- 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.
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.
What this pays in Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $43,828 | $53,790 | $77,397 |
| Across California | $45,536 | $59,385 | $83,810 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $59,385per yearModesto MSA: $49,975
- Projected openings
- 28,860Modesto MSA: 520
- 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.
Welding Technology/Welders. A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to join or cut metal surfaces. Includes instruction in innershield, stick, dualshield, mig, Tig and introduction to Pipe welding. Voluntary Symbols and Blueprint reading course and voluntary math and lecture classes are also available.
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
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 →