Welders at the Hobart Institute participate in an intensive 9-month job-training program that virtually guarantees they’ll find work by the time they graduate. According to Bloomberg News:
“Each year, about 300 students graduate from the school. Eighty-three percent have a job when they leave. The average pay for a new Hobart grad is about $17 an hour, or $36,000 a year. Some students can expect to make a lot more, particularly those learning trigonometry in Hobart’s advanced pipe-layout class. The math will come in handy when they’re welding pipeline along rough terrain or running pipe into a refinery or pump station at unusual angles.” (Image source: Bloomberg News)
America’s welding workforce simply isn’t prepared for all of the manufacturing jobs that have become available since the recovery from the recession began in 2009. In addition, new jobs in the natural gas and oil industries have called for advanced welding skills that the Hobart Institute is passing along to recent graduates.
Students with a degree from Hobart even have opportunities to match or surpass the incomes of students with college degrees. And that’s not the only news worthy of note in welding this week:
Welding Industry
Atlas Machine and Supply Has World’s Largest Welder: “Atlas Machine and Supply Inc., a Louisville-based engineering and manufacturing company, has a custom-built, large-capacity welding machine that officials believe is the largest of its type in North America.
The machinery is the signature piece of what Atlas has dubbed its Welding Solutions Center. The center, located at Atlas’ headquarters on Global Drive in Jefferson Riverport International, is expected to significantly expand the company’s ability to handle larger and more complicated work generated by the steel, paper and aluminum industries”
Welding Jobs
New York’s Steamfitter Union Trains Welders: “The five-year program requires aspiring steamfitters to spend one day every other week here and the rest of the time in the field working for a variety of mechanical contracting firms.
“Air conditioning, heating, sprinkler work, hydraulic work, all of the piping work basically on new construction, renovation, powerhouse work, school work and hospitals,” Dolan explained.”
Welding Education
32-Week Welding Program Launched in Ohio: “On Tuesday members from Lorain County Community College and the Ohio Strategic Training Center had an informational session for potential enrollees in a new welding training program that will be offered at the OSTC.
The welding training program is the result of a three-way partnership between LCCC, OSTC, and Ohio University Southern. The program will last 32 weeks, split into two 16-week semesters, and graduates of the program will receive certification in various types of welding.”
Milwaukee Welding Lab Expands: “The Bucyrus Foundation, a donor-advised fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, is donating $250,000 to the Bradley Technology and Trade School Foundation on Wednesday to expand its welding lab, which will be named the Bucyrus Foundation Welding Lab.
Susan Stein, philanthropic counsel at Bradley Technology and Trade School Foundation Inc., said the money would be used to expand the existing welding lab from four welding stations to eight and would help pay the operating expenses for the welding program for the 2015-’16 school year.”
Welding Events
Weld Cracking Conference
April 15–16, 2014
Denver, CO
“This conference will help welding engineers and others avoid mistakes and turn out high quality products. Topics range from impact tests and how they relate to potential weld cracking as well as the control of moisture in welding consumables.” Read More
Welding Gone Wrong
Cause of Plainfield, Iowa Welding Fire Unclear: “Firefighters were called to a business fire… at Plainfield Welding. A witness tells us the high winds fed the flames from early on and the fire overtook the building and caused the roof to collapse. ”
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