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April 15 2008
I had recently written a letter regarding the “Welder
Shortage” in the area. Since that time I have seen that same subject referred
to in both local papers and nationally. The need for welders is what seems to be
an exaggeration but I may be wrong. See the Miss. Business Journal Oct 8, 2008. In the future, companies may have to be more competitive
with their wages to attract workers with greater amounts of skill. In addition
the lack of facilities providing adequate welder training may affect the level
of skill that can be found in the area. I recently participated in a “Night Class” which
provided welder training. Both the students and the instructor seemed
enthusiastic about the subject however the ability to train a person to weld in
a working environment in less than 40 hours just can’t happen. Some of the students came in with a core set of skills that
would allow them to be employed with just a small amount of specialized
training. Others were starting from scratch. All could have benefited from some
additional background training for welding. The environment and curriculum did
not allow for this. The time constraints placed on a course of that length are
very restrictive. The training course for an entry-level welder in the US Navy
was 6 weeks, 8 hour a day of theory and hands on welding. (Back in 82 when I
went through the program). That was after qualifying to take the class based on
an ASVAB test score. After that course a welder was NOT allowed to weld on any
structural or pressure bearing component of a ship. They could make emergency
repairs and repair items not critical to a ships integrity. The next course was
10 weeks. This course allowed the welder to weld on surface ships only. The next
course was 14 weeks. This allowed the person to weld on piping systems on the
nuclear power plants used in the Navy. My point is that if the county truly needs welders, we need
to look into training people to be welders. Just saying there is a shortage will
not do anything about it. Many private institutions may very well be interested
in helping with this training need. I am sure that comes at a cost. The local college in this area does not have a “Welding
Program” that I am aware of. Welding is part of another program. The local
vocational center offers metal trades and from what I understand is going to
offer a “Welding” program in the fall. I would love to teach that but since
I do not have a degree, I don’t meet the requirements of the state to teach in
the high schools. I would very much like to help the local industry train welders. I have made the offer to teach for free to two of the local companies that use welders but have not received a response. I would like to offer my services for 2 nights a week and possibly on Saturday for free if companies I n the area could come together to provide equipment and shop space. The space could be at any of the many unused buildings at the “Tri State Commerce Park”. This would have to be open to anyone interested in taking the training. I have met the requirements to be an AWS Certified Welding
Educator and have a desire to share some experience with those interested. I
just don’t have a shop. “Industry
Leaders”, let me know something. For the number of available welders in the county to grow, the county needs a facility that has the equipment, space, and technical knowledge needed to train welders. I have the technical knowledge and a desire to teach. |