Hi Joanna, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! You are a true angel. Bikash is working for ICM in downtown Atlanta building stairs in one of the new buildings. He is now making 19/hr, and they already asked him to work overtime, which has been such a blessing! He seems to really like the people he works with as well, and they all work really well, and get along. So, I cannot say Thank You enough! I appreciate Georgia Trade School, and the education you all provided, and the continued support that you have personally given to me, and my family. Bikash would definitely have never been this successful without GTS! I really do not know where we would be! Thank you!

Joanna- I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been working full time for IMMEC! The day that I came in and talked to you, I left and drove down there and spoke with the owner and shop foreman and they hired me right there! I started working in the shop with the assistant foreman and welder. I absolutely love it! I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help, it truly means a lot. I’m so glad I made the transition to come to your school! I don’t know what I would do without your help and dedication from the teachers. Best school ever and I will always miss it! I’m always going to try and stop by and visit! Thanks again! Alex Schnader, GTS Graduate

It’s no secret to anyone who chooses to ask me that GTS opened up amazing opportunities for a new career. I arrived at GTS with a fairly rough history and not much to show for my 26 years. With a daughter on the way, I needed a chance at a new and successful life. I already had a deep interest in welding and the willingness to learn more. But GTS offered more than just how to weld and read blueprints. They offered a chance to learn how to be a successful and valuable employee. They taught me the appreciation of a workplace and pride in my job. As my struggles outside of school continued, the instructors of GTS took the time to understand these issues and helped in every way that they could. This personal dedication to students individually is, what I believe, the most important and valuable part of being a student at this school. Thanks to GTS, I am a highly valued employee at my new job and continue to impress my employer. I will forever be grateful for my time at GTS and especially for my continued relationship with the instructors.

Fantastic school with intelligent, enthusiastic and caring instructors and staff. Gave me the skills for a second chance and to make something of myself. Also extremely helpful with finding employment. As long as you are willing to work hard you can be successful with them.

My son graduated from Georgia Trade School 3 years ago. It changed his life. He received outstanding technical training in a positive, supportive environment. The school was and continues to be a powerful advocate for it’s graduates in securing quality jobs. My son’s first job was with an excellent company that paid well and offered good benefits. He decided to move to a bigger city, and Georgia Trade helped him find promising opportunities. He easily found another good job. Ryan and Joanna Blythe lead a great school with gifted instructors and excellent facilities. We are blessed and proud to be part of the Georgia Trade School family.

I was accepted into the Iron Workers Union Apprenticeship program. The Union has already assigned me to Atlanta Steel Erectors and I am now on my second day of work. With my certifications I earned in school I am able to test with the Iron Workers Union and start as a second year apprentice, which is great! I am very excited for this opportunity and wanted to thank you and your team for the instruction I received at Georgia Trade School. Please pass my gratitude on to everyone there at Georgia Trade School.

Are you tired of sitting behind your desk in a cubicle? Maybe behind a dish pit and delivering pizzas? Are you tired of sitting in a classroom, slowly falling asleep? Are you the kind of person who loves working with their hands? How can you change that? Put on some gloves and flip down your hood and start welding! Welding is one of the hottest jobs around. The job market for welder is in dire need for more us! And for me, job security as well as a wide open job market was the kind of career I wanted. The catch is, you have to be a great welder and a scholar of welding. Georgia Trade School can turn you into both in 3-6 months!

At GTS, I struggled at first like most do! But with practice and a lot more patience, my welding became better each day! I started to love welding and appreciating what welding will do for me! The teachers at GTS installed that into me! I honestly had some of my best days at GTS and truly enjoyed attending there! I worked hard to get the 5 certifications I wanted to have. I achieved my goal in two months with the guidance of all of the instructors there. Every instructor had different “tricks” and tips to offer and all of them clicked for me! After getting all of my certs and still having a month left there, I wanted to actually build something and the school didn’t have a problem with it. They encouraged me to! With guidance from the instructors and former students there, I built and welded my project to my satisfaction!

Before I graduated, I had a job lined up with Caterpillar thanks to GTS! And I’ve been working for CAT for 6 months now. I’ve been making more money than I ever have. There are welders here that attended GTS.

All in all, attending Georgia Trade School was one of the best decisions I’ve made!

Our grandson recently completed the 6-month night school program at the Georgia Trade School. It was such a wonderful experience for us to see what they do there. Not only are the students getting a top-notch education in a marketable trade, they are learning how to be good employees and responsible citizens. The faculty and directors teach, encourage and correct in a loving, family-like environment. The students who leave there with their certifications are well-prepared to go out in the world with good skills as well as good attitudes. Thank you, Georgia Trade School, for a job well-done!

Hi Joanna…just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how things are going with Josh. He is really enjoying Caterpillar. Things actually went very well through his training process and he is now at the plant and working evening shift. That is actually a perfect shift for him as he is a “night-owl”.

He has had very positive feedback so far. He had to take a welding test upon entering the plant after training. It is my understanding that he did VERY well and was even asked where he learned to weld like that. He was also the only one from his training class, if I understand correctly, that passed that welding test on the first try!

Anyway, you guys did a great job with him and we really appreciate it. Tim asked him just yesterday if he felt like his time at Georgia Trade School had truly prepared him for his career in the real world. Without hesitation, he replied YES.

Just wanted to make you guys aware of the positive feedback. You all did a great job!!!

Where do I start with Georgia Trade School? There are so many things I have learned from the instructors. James Spinner, Sean Quinton and Elaine Waters are among the best welders in Atlanta. There is only one way Georgia Trade School taught me to weld and that is with 100% everything you have, every time. There is one thing I really love about GTS and that is their hard work for their students. They have this way of finding so many welding opportunities, they can always get you in the door some way, somehow. I wouldn’t be the welder I am today without GTS. There is really no limit to where you can go or what you may be welding or fabricating. There is a passion they brought out in me and thank you GTS for all the great lessons and opportunity so know I can be a proud man knowing that I am a welder.

I was fortunate enough to find GTS from Chucke2009 on YouTube while I was visiting Georgia on spring break. I took a tour and instantly fell in love with the school and moved down to Georgia from Michigan just to attend. I am so glad I did. In the short 14 weeks I was there, my skills got 1000X better and I could not be more happy. I was able to walk out the door with 4 certifications, and I tested with 3 different companies and received a job offer from one while I was still in school. I would highly recommend this school to anyone interested in welding.

To all the teachers and administrators at the Georgia Trade School,

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for everything that you have done for my son, Ryan Lemke. Before Ryan enrolled in the GTS, he was floundering. He had always thought that he was going to play football in college. He really didn’t care about the college part but was all about the football part. Unfortunately, Ryan suffered a career ending injury just 9 days into summer college football camp. He withdrew from school before classes even started to come home and have his 4th football related surgery in 2 years. Ryan really did not think that college was the right choice for him but he wasn’t sure where to turn for help. All of his friends had gone off to college somewhere and Ryan was at home recovering from surgery and uncertain about his career path. He was floundering, never a good thing for a 19 year old male. Ryan had seen some television news stories about the wonderful world of welding and his interest was picqued. He heard about the boom going on in the oil and gas industry with fracking and learned that welders were in short supply. He read some articles and learned that welding involved working with your hands and was physically demanding. He had never worked with his hands before but knew that he loved physical work (years of football and landscaping). How unfortunate that our high schools don’t offer “shop” class anymore. He might have learned in 9th grade that he wanted to be a tradesman. Instead, he was unsure.

We found out about GTS from an online search through google. The fact that the school offered welding certifications in 14 weeks (versus 2 years at our community college) was good news. Plus, we have family in Atlanta and Ryan would have a place to live while he went to school.

We were going to be in Atlanta visiting with family for Christmas and called Ryan Blythe. Even though the school was closed, he offered to meet us at the school and give us a tour (I think it was the day before Christmas and I know that we pulled Ryan away from his family). We liked the facilities and everything Ryan Blythe said made a lot of sense to us. We liked that GTS has business partners who hire students directly from the school. Our only concern was whether Ryan would actually enjoy welding or be any good at it. We took a leap of faith and enrolled Ryan in the school and are so glad that we made the right choice.

After the very first day of school, Ryan called home excited. He had welded on his very first day. His words were, “I can do this. I can make a living doing this. And, the people here are great”. His dad and I were both happy and relieved. Ryan would come home on the weekends and after about 4 weeks, we noticed a big change in him. And, it wasn’t just his Dad and I. Everyone noticed. Ryan was excited about school and talked about welding to anyone who would listen, unusual for a kid who usually doesn’t have a lot to say. His confidence level was high and he no longer appeared to be “floundering”. He had a goal and a purpose.

Ryan graduated with 4 welding certificates and a job offer. One week after he graduated from GTS, he was employed with Thompson Industrial Services and working on the Duke Power Marshall Steam Station plant shut down in Mooresville, NC. And he is making really good money, more than his college educated mother. Go figure. Ryan has chosen the road warrior route for the time being. As a member of Thompson’s crew, he will travel the southeast working on various industrial plant shut downs.

Ryan received his first paycheck this past Friday. He was very proud of himself and I was happy that he was able to take over his car and insurance payments. He plans to buy a TIG machine and will practice welding in the evening so he can continue to build his skills. He also wants to take a pipe welding course during his down time.

I can’t thank you all enough for everything that you have done for Ryan. We are very happy parents. I also want to personally thank James, whom I have never met but heard about on a daily basis. My phone conversations went something like “James this and James that”. Whatever James did to motivate and teach Ryan is much appreciated. From what I can gather, Ryan knew that he had to work in order to gain James’ approval. If he messed up, James would flat out tell him so and it pushed Ryan to be better. When he got something right and earned and got an “atta boy” from James, he was thrilled. And, I’d also like to thank Ms. Elaine for her patience. Ryan talked about how nice and how patient she was with him. Whatever she did, she put him at ease and that helped him to learn a lot from her.

I am very pleased that Ryan wants to continue to learn. He is always on YouTube watching welding videos and he can’t wait to buy some equipment. His continued interest in learning more about welding is proof that he likes what he is doing and really wants to make this a career.

Thank you again so much for everything. If you ever need a former student’s parent as a reference, please feel free to consider me.

Thanks GA Trade School for all you do for North Cobb High School! We need more to give back to the community like you guys. Keep up the great work and thanks again for being involved.

Thanks you GTS for everything great group of instructors couldn’t have asked for a better place to learn and work going to miss everyone.

I have been a blacksmith for fifteen years, in that time I thought I was pretty good at welding. I came to Georgia Trade School thinking I would fly through all the certifications. Very quickly I realized that my skills as a welder were not as good as I thought they were. Thankfully the staff at Georgia Trade School are excellent teachers and as a result of my training here my skills as a welder increased extensively. The instructors at Georgia Trade School are very professional and eager to help, they are flexible with students who work full time and have challenging schedules. Because of what I learned here I am now employed as a shop foreman at Oak Hill Iron Works in Morganton, North Carolina.

I came to Georgia Trade School directly after graduating high school. Within six months of enrolling I was blessed with the opportunity to begin my career at Caterpillar Inc. Now I am financially independent at age 19, work for a Fortune 500 company where the sky is the limit in terms of advancement, and have the means to build my future any way that I want. Georgia Trade School gave me the opportunity to pursue a life that I can be proud of. Enrolling in this school has been the best decision of my adult life thus far.

I just want to say thank you so much to the entire staff. You guys are truly great at what you do. Georgia Trade School changed my life, my mom told me she had never seen me so financially independent and that means a whole lot.

Thanks again

It has been my sincere pleasure to partner with you and hire your graduates from your welding program. We have found that Georgia Trade School students typically have a well balanced understanding of fundamental welding processes. Georgia Trade School has been responsive to our entry level hiring requirements and always open to ways we can improve the partnership. Also, the Georgia Trade School students come to us with an open mind to the endless career opportunities that exist at Ingalls. That is a credit to the Georgia Trade School team. We look forward to seeing many more Georgia Trade School students join the Ingalls Shipbuilding Team.

Thanks You for helping us grow the next generation of shipbuilders

Sincerely,

Robert C Lett
Talent Acquisition Manager, Ingalls Shipbuilding

Wanted to let you know Josh was offered a job with Morrison Products. He has been there a few weeks already and is so proud of his accomplishments. This is due to the Outstanding Training from Georgia Trade School. Not only the quality of training he received but the personal attention for each student. Georgia Trade School finds the strength of the student then builds their career path. As a “parent” in this economy I cannot even begin to express how impressed I am with the school. From training, understanding the student, certifications, then the partnerships with companies for job placement! I will and already have recommended Georgia Trade School to other families.

Thank You

Thanks to your school! I wouldn’t have this job without you, I feel blessed.

We cannot thank you enough for the work accomplished here at the Food Bank yesterday. The guard rails around three of our floor scales and guard rails around the sort tables look great. Not only did you take the time and materials to build them, you installed them for us! The work on the dumpster hopper may not look as impressive as the guard rails, but actually it was the greatest need. Our side walls were falling apart as well as the cage. Today they are good as new.

James and students braved the 17 degree temperatures to work on the dumpster, and then worked around 60 volunteers to install the guards. They did all of this with a smile and complete cooperation. Bruce from Channel 11 arrived just in time to see your team bolt down the last guard rail. I was very happy to thank you all “on air”. In addition we have the teams pictures on all our social media outlets.

Georgia Trade School changed my life in many ways and really has made me, what I can only hope is a much better person. Instructor James Spinner stood by my side through my good welding days and my bad. From him and the other instructors I learned patience and humility, not only when welding but just in general. The school gave me all the tools to do whatever I put my mind to and they drove me every day to be better than the day before.

I ended up getting a job with a small company called Apex Welding right out of school and it’s been amazing since day one. From running pipe at CKS, a company that produces many of the plastic bottles we use every day, to a little bit of work for Lockheed Martin. Our next project we will be running all the welded pipe for Georgia Southern university’s new football field house.

I wanted to let you know that Ryker was offered a position with Caterpillar this week. I would like to thank you and the entire staff at Georgia Trade School for your help. Your team did an outstanding job in training, schedule adjusting, and assisting in job placement. I especially appreciate the extra effort you put into forming strategic alliances and partnerships with organizations and companies to promote your skilled craftsman. I would recommend Georgia Trade School to anyone who is interested. Well done!

Thanks to everyone for all your hospitality. It was a great experience. Ryan and Joanna your school is helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rise to a higher standard. Elaine, James and the other instructors thanks for pushing me to always do better. I look forward to stopping and seeing everyone the next time I am in the area.

Just wanted to let you know what a great school you have. Our son Jake just finished training at Georgia Trade School and went to work at a large manufacturing plant. He went right into their production line as a finishing welder, we feel this is outstanding for someone right out of school. He has a great future ahead of him thanks to all of you at Georgia Trade School. He has found his niche in life and you all helped him achieve this goal. I would advise anyone who is looking for a great place to train and learn what you need to know to get a great job, this is the place! As a parent who has spent a great deal of money on education this is the best money I have ever spent! Can’t thank you enough for helping give our son a chance at a great future!

I just wanted to say thank you to all GTS instructors. I am currently employed with Ingalls Shipbuilding going through the training process. My boss told me to thank whoever taught me how to weld. He has been impressed with the X-rays I have sent in and has even showed my test plates to the other foremen. I couldn’t have done it without the training from Georgia Trade School. And a special thanks to Mrs. Elaine Waters.

My husband and I could not be more pleased with Christopher’s success at Georgia Trade School. It’s been nothing but good for him and he thinks the world of all the friends he’s made there. He feels his instructors really care about him and want him to succeed. As my husband said, “I feel like we got our money’s worth from that school”.

Our son Ryan just completed his training with Ga Trade School. We were very pleased with the school and the training he received. The staff and instructors were very professional. They made our son feel very welcome at the school and this really helped with his training. Not only did they train him to be a professional welder but they also helped him with his resume and even sent it out to prospective employers. Our son has already received several calls from companies interested in his skills as a welder. Our thanks go out to Ryan Blythe and his Staff at Georgia Trade School.

My time at Georgia Trade School has been awesome. The teachers and staff are very helpful and friendly, they have even assisted me in finding a job. This place is great!

It was obvious from my time there that you are running a great program.

Mike and I are so proud of our son Will. The Georgia Trade School gave Will the knowledge, skills and confidence that he needed to become a certified welder. The “ENTIRE” staff was extremely helpful from the first day until the day our son graduated. They would offer lots of feedback and would welcome any questions that we would often have during this process. I would definitely recommend this school to anyone who is interested in learning skills that would help you to obtain success in your future. I agree with the other post…they do become your family. Thanks to everyone at GTS.

– Mike and Lisa Kennemore (parents of GTS Graduate)

You guys have become our family these past four months…and quite frankly, we are having withdrawal over John’s “graduation”! Thanks for everything…this has been a life changer for John and our family! Outstanding trade school, because of your outstanding people! — Steve Norris

My name is Nicholas Dec and I am currently a student at Georgia Trade School. The program is extremely professional, along with the instructors and staff. If anyone is interested in starting a career in welding, then this is a great place to do just that.

My name is Greg Hoeger. I am currently enrolled at Georgia Trade School. Before coming here I knew absolutely nothing about welding. The school has state of the art welding equipment and a top notch staff and instructors. I was the type of person who absolutely hated to go to school. I can honestly say that I enjoy coming to school each day, and have developed a passion for welding. Sitting in a cubicle all day and doing menial desk work doesn’t hold a flame to the enjoyment that I get out of welding. I would recommend this school to anyone who is even considering a career in welding. Coming here was the best decision I have ever made, and a great investment on my future.

It is a pleasure to write to you and share the best career decision I have ever made – attending this welding school. It has opened countless doors for me already. I had a dream for many years to work on an oil rig, and because of Georgia Trade School it became a dream come true. I looked at several schools. What sets Georgia Trade School apart from other welding schools is that most schools are 18 to 24 months long. Not only that, but most of them didn’t even give you the chance to certify. The cool thing about Georgia Trade School is that 85% of the time, you are welding. That is how you learn. It is a hands on learning environment. You only can learn so much from a book. The book work you take is all about welding symbols and reading and understanding blueprints. All the stuff you need to know to break out in the welding field.

I was fortunate enough to have a job in a welding fab shop before I got out of school. It didn’t pay much but it gave me experience and a good reference for my resume. I went on to work at a company welding pipe in chemical plants. I was able to quickly move forward in my career and got the opportunity to weld on an oil rig.

Georgia Trade School will give attending students as much, if not more, than what they put in. Not only did I get a great career out of the deal but I also made some great friends. Thank you to all the staff. I don’t think I can stress enough how much you improved my life. A special thanks to: Mrs. Elaine, Mrs. Eden, Shawn and Ryan.

Ben Stubbs is my grandson. This is a note to thank you for everything you have done for him. You have given him the knowledge and skills to find and pursue his passion-welding! Thanks to your placement program, at age 19, Ben not only has a JOB as a welder, he has the confidence and skills to succeed and could not be happier. Thank you Ryan, Sean, Elaine and Eden. I will forever be grateful to you.

My background in the industry before coming to the school was in pipefitting, I already had a “taste” of the industry and the hard work, dedication, will , ability and most of all the craftsmanship that was required. I learned pipe welding from Elaine Waters and Eden Parks, they taught me a lot and I thank them. If it was not for them and their knowledge and me listening and paying attention I would not be where I am today.

Since I graduated from school I have been all over the country welding, seeing sights and making great money along the way. My job offers range from 24 to 34 dollars per hour and I also get per diems for lodging and food.

I strongly advise anyone that has the opportunity to learn a skill and craft such as welding from Georgia Trade School to open your ears and keep your hood down. That is how you will succeed in this industry. The sky is the limit in welding if you put the time in.

My passion is welding, I love it. Here at Georgia Trade School the staff has made my passion for welding stronger and dream of being successful possible. The staff at Georgia Trade School is very skilled. I love my career and Georgia Trade School can do the same for you!