What Tulsa Welding School does

Tulsa Welding School (TWS) is a private, multi-campus U.S. technical trade school founded in 1949 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and owned by StrataTech Education Group, which also operates The Refrigeration School (RSI). The school delivers hands-on vocational training across 11 programs spanning welding, HVAC/R, electrical, and industrial maintenance, with program durations ranging from 3.5 months (Electrical Lineworker) to 14 months (Associate of Occupational Studies and Associate in Applied Science in Welding Inspection). Programs are delivered through a hybrid model that combines online theoretical coursework with on-campus lab training using industry-standard welding, HVAC, electrical, and industrial maintenance equipment, supplemented by Interplay Learning VR simulation on Meta Quest 2 headsets for HVAC, Electrical, and Electromechanical Technologies students. TWS holds ACCSC accreditation and operates five U.S. campuses in Tulsa (OK), Jacksonville (FL), Houston (TX), Dallas Metro / Irving (TX), and Atlanta Metro / Decatur (GA), with the Atlanta location opened in 2025 as a 48,000 sq ft purpose-built facility.

The school's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: prospective students apply through the website, schedule campus or virtual tours, and work with admissions representatives, with multiple start dates per year supporting rolling admissions. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees, supported by federal Title IV financial aid (Pell Grants, loans), military benefits (GI Bill, Tuition Assistance), and approximately $7M in annual scholarship funding administered across the three legacy campuses. The Electrical Lineworker program is not Title IV-eligible and is financed through a Climb Credit Organization partnership. Reported scale signals include over 50,000 lifetime graduates, 16,000+ employer relationships, and graduate employment across all 50 states, with reported placement referenced in graduate testimonials. Customer segments span career changers, recent high school graduates, military veterans, and working adults seeking flexible scheduling.

TWS's strategic posture centers on geographic expansion (Dallas Metro and Atlanta Metro openings), product diversification (the 2025 Advanced Industrial Maintenance Technology launch), and technology partnerships (Interplay Learning VR, Climb Credit financing, Lineman Central distribution). Marketing combines organic search, virtual campus tours, video testimonials, an annual high school welding competition (Weld-to-Win), and TCPA-compliant multi-channel outreach including automated dialing and AI-assisted communication. The 75th anniversary milestone and third-party validation through the 2022 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce study (top 5% of 4,600 institutions for 10-year ROI at Houston and Jacksonville campuses) reinforce brand positioning around accelerated, hands-on career outcomes in skilled trades.

Name

Tulsa Welding School

Legal name

Tulsa Welding School

Website

https://tws.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Tulsa Welding School is a private, multi-campus U.S. technical trade school offering 11 hands-on vocational programs in welding, HVAC/R, electrical, and industrial maintenance across five campuses, serving career changers, high school graduates, and military veterans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Trade School Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arc Welding (SMAW/GMAW/FCAW/GTAW) Training (EDAOADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pipe Welding & Industrial Piping Fabrication Training (EDAOADAB), Structural Steel Welding & Erection-Focused Training (EDAOADAC), Welding Codes, Safety & Compliance Training (AWS/ASME/OSHA) (EDAOADAG)

Keywords

• Welding training
• HVAC training
• Electrical training
• Industrial maintenance
• Vocational education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: TWS generates revenue primarily through tuition charges for its vocational training programs. Tuition is charged based on the amount reflected on each student's Enrollment Agreement. Financial aid including federal grants (Pell Grant), loans, military education benefits (GI Bill, Tuition Assistance), and scholarships are available to those who qualify.
2. Scholarship Administration: TWS administers institutional scholarships ($7,000,000 in annual funding estimated for Tulsa, Jacksonville & Houston campuses combined) along with external scholarships to help offset student tuition costs.
3. Climb Credit Financing: The Electrical Lineworker program (not eligible for Title IV funding) offers financing through Climb Credit Organization with affordable interest rates and low monthly payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tulsa Welding School is a multi-campus technical trade school delivering hands-on vocational training programs in welding, HVAC/refrigeration, electrical, and industrial maintenance trades. Programs range from 3.5 to 14 months in duration and combine online theoretical coursework with intensive on-campus laboratory instruction, with gear packages (including optional VR simulators) and career services provided to enrolled students.

Product overview

Tulsa Welding School is a multi-campus technical trade school offering hands-on vocational training programs in welding, HVAC/refrigeration, electrical, and industrial maintenance. The school's product portfolio consists of 11 distinct training programs ranging from 3.5 to 14 months in duration: five welding programs (Professional Welding Training, Welding and Pipefitting, Associate of Occupational Studies in Welding Technology, Associate in Applied Science in Welding Inspection, and Welding Specialist Training), three electrical programs (Electrical Technologies, Electrical Applications, and Electrical Lineworker Training), two HVAC/refrigeration programs (Refrigeration Technologies and Electro-Mechanical Technologies), and one Advanced Industrial Maintenance Technology program. Programs are delivered through five campus locations across the U.S. (Tulsa, OK; Jacksonville, FL; Houston, TX; Dallas Metro, TX; and Atlanta Metro, GA) using a hybrid model combining online theoretical coursework with intensive hands-on lab training. The school also provides gear packages including tools and VR equipment, career services support, and financial aid options for eligible students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Welding Training 7-month hands-on welding certification program teaching structural welding, flux-core welding, and pipe welding techniques for prospective students pursuing entry-level welding careers in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and construction.
• Welding and Pipefitting Training Program 9.5-month program combining welding and pipefitting training, covering structural welding, basic and advanced pipefitting, thin alloy welding, and steamfitting; available at Jacksonville, FL and Houston, TX campuses.
• Associate of Occupational Studies in Welding Technology 14-month associate degree program providing comprehensive welding education from foundational techniques to advanced inspection and quality management, including 25+ welds on pipe and plate plus destructive and non-destructive testing training.
• Associate in Applied Science in Welding Inspection & Quality Management 14-month AAS degree program training students in welding inspection and quality control, covering radiographic testing, ultrasonic testing, liquid penetrant testing, and quality assurance procedures.
• Welding Specialist Training 7-month welding program exclusively at the Atlanta Metro campus covering MIG, TIG, Stick, and pipe welding foundations with emphasis on structural and pipe welding techniques for entry-level welding and fabrication roles.
• Refrigeration Technologies (HVAC/R) 7-month HVAC/refrigeration technician training program covering heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, preparing graduates for entry-level positions in HVAC/R service and maintenance.
• Electro-Mechanical Technologies 10-month program blending HVAC/R, electrical systems, and solar energy training, preparing students for electromechanical technician roles across manufacturing, robotics, and aerospace.
• Electrical Technologies 7-month electrician training program at Dallas Metro and Atlanta Metro campuses covering residential, commercial, and industrial electrical systems, including solar, wire, motor, lighting, and distribution technologies.
• Electrical Applications 7-month fundamental electrical training program at Jacksonville, FL, Tulsa, OK, and Houston, TX campuses covering mechanical and electrical principles, wiring systems, and preparation for entry-level electrician positions.
• Electrical Lineworker Training 3.5-month (15-week) intensive program teaching installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical power lines, including pole climbing, bucket rescue, and up to 9 certifications. Available at Jacksonville, FL and Dallas Metro campuses.
• Advanced Industrial Maintenance Technology 7-month industrial maintenance training program covering motors, PLCs, hydraulics, pneumatics, and preventive maintenance to prepare students for equipment maintenance and industrial automation careers; available at Houston and Dallas Metro campuses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Programs can be completed in as few as 7 months (Professional Welder, Welding Specialist, Refrigeration Technologies, Electrical Technologies, Advanced Industrial Maintenance)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Interplay LearningcoreTechnology or IntegrationInterplay Learning provides virtual reality training simulation via Meta Quest 2 headsets included in student gear packages. Students use Interplay for electrical and HVAC troubleshooting training, allowing practice outside of campus hours with immersive VR scenarios.
• Georgetown University Center on Education and the WorkforceminorOthersConducts research on return on investment for educational institutions. Their 2022 study ranked TWS Houston and Jacksonville in top 5% of 4,600 institutions for 10-year ROI.
• Lineman CentralminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTWS Electrical Lineworker Program is featured on Lineman Central platform for prospective students and recent graduates seeking entry-level career opportunities.
• StrataTech Education GroupcoreOthersParent company of Tulsa Welding Schools and The Refrigeration School Inc. (RSI). Manages privacy policy, student data, and provides shared administrative infrastructure across sister institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Ashworth College: Online vocational and career training school with certificates in trades-adjacent fields. Addresses the same price-sensitive career-changer audience as TWS, but lacks the hands-on campus component that defines TWS's value proposition.
• Penn Foster: Online-focused vocational and trade education provider with self-paced welding, HVAC, and electrical programs. Competes with TWS for the same career-changer demographic but via a remote-delivery model rather than on-campus labs.

Direct peers

• ECPI University: For-profit institution offering hands-on associate and certificate programs in skilled trades, technology, and healthcare. Overlaps with TWS on the trade-school category, accelerated-format programs, and federal-aid-dependent enrollment model.
• The Refrigeration School (RSI): Sister institution to TWS under the StrataTech Education Group parent, offering HVAC/R and electrical training in Phoenix, AZ. The Atlanta Metro TWS campus is even operated as a branch of RSI, making it the most structurally comparable peer for benchmarking operations.
• Universal Technical Institute: Operates a national network of technical trade schools offering welding, HVAC, electrical, and industrial training programs to similar career-changer and recent-graduate demographics. UTI is a publicly listed direct competitor to TWS in the skilled-trades education category.
• Lincoln Educational Services: Multi-campus for-profit trade school operator offering HVAC, electrical, welding, and industrial programs across the U.S. Closely comparable to TWS in target student, financial-aid-dependent business model, and skilled-trades curriculum mix.

Others

• National Education Training Group (NETG): Workforce development and skills training provider serving corporate and government clients in industrial and skilled-trade verticals. Operates in the same employer ecosystem as TWS but primarily as a B2B training partner rather than a consumer-facing school.
• Workforce Safety & Insurance / Apprenticeship Sponsors: Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship programs and union training centers that compete with TWS for career-changer enrollment in skilled trades, particularly electrical and industrial maintenance. They represent the structural alternative pathway TWS benchmarks against.

Regional players

• Porter and Chester Institute: Northeast U.S.-focused multi-campus trade school offering HVAC, electrical, and related programs. Comparable curriculum and target student to TWS, with limited geographic overlap, making it a regional benchmark for similar programs.
• New England Institute of Technology: Private technical institute offering associate and bachelor's degree programs in skilled trades, technology, and engineering. Comparable to TWS on curriculum and credential structure, with a primarily New England geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/90979501431

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tulsa Welding School