Some may call the welding class at Owens Community College organized chaos. Some may not even call it a class. Whatever you call it, a bunch of welders are creating some of the most unique art work around. Jim Gilmore of Owens shares the following with the Toledo Blade,
“You have 14 people doing their own thing, working on their own processes, so as an instructor you’re dealing with them one on one. The intermediate class has been taking place for nine years and it often fills up,” he said. “Students receive two credit hours for it and the fee is $145, so the total cost is about $500, but many repeat the elective class as they work on projects.”
Image Credit: Toledo
Blade
Here’s what’s happening in the rest of the welding world this week:
Welding Industry
EBTEC Gains GEAE approval for TIG welding to P8TF3 – CF101: “EBTEC Corporation announced recently that it has been approved by General Electric Aircraft Engines for TIG welding per Specification P8TF3 – CF01. EBTEC joins an elite sector of the Aerospace Industry’s suppliers that offer these services to GE and to GE sub-tier suppliers for this process.”
Welding Education
New River Community College in West Virginia Displays State of the Art Welding Labs: “New River Community and Technical College announces full, state-of-the-art welding labs are operational at both its Lewisburg and Ghent campuses. While New River has offered a variety of certificates and degrees in Lewisburg’s lab for some time, Ghent’s full lab at the Advanced Technology Center is newly installed and has ‘students working on real, hands-on projects that can be applied to real world problems on the job,’ according to instructor Brad Veneri.”
High School Students Compete in Welding Competition: “Great Falls College MSU hosted the Regional Skills USA Competition. The four hour regional contest featured 35 high school students from the area. The challenge prepares the students for the state competition in Havre [Montana] in April. The majority of the teens here want to have careers in welding or construction.”
Virginia School of Metal Sparks Interest in Welding: “Steve Brownell is sparking some local interest in the art and science of welding. Brownell recently opened the Virginia School of Metal. The goal is to teach students a technical skill that’s not only fun, but something that has practical applications. ‘From the architectural high-end quality metal work standpoint, there’s a need for what we do — we have a niche in the market,” Brownell said. “I always had a desire, just that little inner voice to teach and share what I’ve learned over the last 40 years.’”
Texas Welding Program Validated by Eastman Chemical Co.: “Kilgore College is pleased to announce that its Welding Technology Program has been named a ‘Validated Program’ by Eastman Chemical Co., Texas Operations. The award, given by the Workforce Development Team at Eastman, assures that graduates from KC’s welding program hired by Eastman will receive higher starting pay, more frequent pay increases and additional scholarships.”
Welding Jobs
Saint Louis Today, No Bachelor’s Degree? There Are Still Good Jobs: “John Wood, vice president for student services at Ranken Technical College, says local factories have been hiring, part of a general revival in U.S. manufacturing. ‘The hot jobs now are in manufacturing, particularly in welding and precision machinery,’ Wood says.”
Uncertainty Over Conflicting Job Reports in Wisconsin: “The statistics suggest the current economy is sorely lacking in jobs for college graduates. And perhaps, that some of these folks might have been better off getting a technical college degree. But these are also jobs that can’t be moved overseas and that often pay more (with tips) than many Milwaukee companies are willing to pay.”
Skilled Workers Needed to Fill Jobs in Mississippi: “While presenting the Attala County Board of Supervisors with complete results of the Mid-Mississippi Job Fair Monday, Kosciusko-Attala Development Corporation President Steve Zea said that welding positions are going unfilled in our area and surrounding area because of lack of skills. ‘The most important message is that we’ve got to get some of our folk some additional skill levels,’ Zea said. ‘If they had the skill levels, there are jobs out there. It’s that simple.There are jobs going unfilled right here in Attala County and surrounding counties that would would make someone a very livable wage.’”
Welding Events
Weld Cracking Conference: “To find out what it takes to eliminate weld cracks, go out of your way to make plans to attend a new and different AWS Conference on Weld Cracking which will be held on March 26-27, 2013 in Las Vegas. The experts will be there, armed with solutions to many of your problems.”
Welding Gone Wrong
Welding Spark Causes Fire in Garage: “Firefighters were called to 427 Webber Pond Road to put out a fire in the garage of Bruce and Kathy Calkins, according to Chief Eric Rowe. Rowe said the fire started in the garage where someone had been welding, and a spark appeared to have ignited the wooden floor. The fire then spread into cellar beams under the garage floor.”
Welding Accident Under Investigation in Shawnee, Kansas: “Police said it appeared the explosion involved some sort of welding equipment. The investigation into the accident is being turned over to members of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”
Welding Accident Damages Antique Cars: “A lifelong antique car collector is trying to salvage what's left after a garage fire destroyed six of his classic automobiles. It happened Friday night around 8:00 at the man's Bloomington home. 75-year-old John Tornquist said the fire was an accident. He said he had been welding in his garage when he went into the house for dinner and head a ‘pop.’”
