Many people have complained that there are no opportunities left in Montana and absolutely nothing to do. A new welding program at the FVC college is planning to change all that and is bringing hope to the community in Lincoln County, Montana.
Flathead Valley Community College's campus in Lincoln County has a new welding trailer and class. Around fifty people were gathered when the class was first opened in a reception to honor the new program. The welding program began in January and those students are expected to graduate this spring. The two semester program has been condensed into a schedule of just 10 weeks. Students split class time between the classroom and the welding trailer for practice. All who graduate will be certified welders. Right now there are around 20 students who are in training and there are 10 welding stations in the trailer.
The new program was designed in order to train new welders who could then get employment at Stinger Welding Inc. The company is attempting to extend a hand to the community and help young people find work. Training new welders is going to bring economic stimulus to the area since people will be able to find work and support themselves and their families.
Stinger Welding is a bridge manufacturer who began to hire workers last year but saw a shortage of welders. Some 200 people are expected to eventually be hired at the plant in Kootenai Business Park Industrial District and there are also plans for large projects to start in Portland, Oregon (a pedestrian bridge) and Seattle (a highway bridge). These projects offer the chance for even more to be hired, as does the company's plans to build a sister plant that will be about 100,000 square feet.
The training program set up by Stinger costs $2,800. The training centers that are nearest the area charge anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 for the same program. And there is no guarantee of employment with a company right at graduation. The program will give welders entry level skills they need to be employed with Stinger, but they will be able to obtain a welding job anywhere they want with the skills they learn if they wish to work elsewhere. There is no contract that holds a student to working for Stinger; they just have the opportunity to be employed almost immediately.
