In Wisconsin, despite all the arguing over the unions and whether or not they should have the power they should, trade jobs are seeing a brighter future than they were previously. Not all specialities that suffered greatly during the Great Recession are bouncing back, but many are. One such trade is welding.
Welding covers so many aspects of businesses that the technical schools and job development training programs are seeing a large increase in Wisconsin in training for welders. This increase is also being seen in other states. For example, in Georgia, some companies are actually hiring welders and if there are no welders, they are once again offering training to make sure they have some employees who are certified in the types of welding that they need. There are many more opportunities opening up for welders in Wisconsin and all over the country. It's a good time to keep up your certification if you already have certification in some area of welding and also a good time to get training if you are looking to change your career and become a welder.
If you are a welder in Wisconsin, some areas of the state are better for growth in your field than others. In the Town of Menasha, there is the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board. The board has said that they believe that they will have a shortage of skilled workers in welding, and that this could become a serious problem. The Fox Valley Technical College has a popular program for welders. Currently, the instructors are busier than ever and the school has been forced to accommodate an ever growing number of students. They even offer a night class that has proven to be very successful.
Oshkosh Corporation, a defense contractor in Wisconsin, recently held a job fair in hopes of hiring 650 to 750 assemblers and welders; it is not likely they met that goal. Another company in Wisconsin, Marinette Marine, needs welders to handle orders from the Navy while Caterpillar is searching for welders to work in the Rhinelander plant. There are lots of opportunities out there and welders have a better chance than in the last several years to land a job that will give them what they need.
The kinds of jobs that are available are with big companies – such as Caterpillar and Marinette Marine – and this should translate to competitive benefits packages for welders, as these companies will want welders to be happy and not planning to move on to another company.
