Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines on November 8, 2013, leaving over 7,000 dead or missing, while also destroying the livelihood of many farmers. Coconut farmers were hit especially hard, as many trees were snapped to pieces in the high winds. However, welding is providing an important job alternative.
Coconut farmer Jeddah Palo, 24, had been working in her family’s generations-old coconut business when the typhoon changed everything. Through a government training program, Palo took welding classes at a local Catholic church. She was the only woman in the course but now finds regular work as a welder.
After graduating with her welding certificate, Palo received help from Catholic Relief Services in finding a welding job at a transportation company. Palo will now be able to support her family while the coconut trees on her family’s farm take another seven years to grow back.
Is welding part of your next career move? Here’s the latest round-up of welding news:
Welding Jobs
Welders Thrive by Making Art: The stereotype of a welder is a burly guy perched high on a steel beam, torch in hand, putting the bones of a skyscraper together. Bill Sorich is not that guy.
Yes, Mr. Sorich is a welder, and he undoubtedly has the knowledge and skills to put skyscrapers together. For years the resident of the Santa Cruz mountains above Woodside welded components for nuclear reactors for Westinghouse Electric.
Grainger Donates $5,000 to Welding Program: The Grainger Foundation donated $5,000 to Tri-County Technical College in support of the expansion of the cutting lab in its Welding department.
“This grant will be used to purchase additional equipment for the cutting lab, enabling us to serve more students,” said Paul Phelps, Welding program coordinator at Tri-County. “We are grateful to The Grainger Foundation for its generosity.”
Women Melt Gender Stereotypes on the Job: Diana Matykunas, 46, and Jennifer Nardone, 21, made a decision not many other women make in this day and age. They got into welding
“You’ve gotta get the (idea) out of your mind that there is a man’s world or a woman’s world,” Matykunas said. “This is anybody’s world and women can actually dominate if they get beyond that initial hesitation.”
After her kids graduated from Bartram Trail High School, Matykunas told her husband she was done being a stay-at-home mom. She enrolled in the welding program at First Coast Technical College in February.â€
Welding Education
Iowa Welding Students Complete Welding Training Course: Five Marion County residents have successfully completed a Welding for Manufacturing class. The class was held at Vermeer Corporation in Pella, utilizing their weld training lab. All received their MIG Welding for Manufacturing certificate and AWS Qualification in a recent ceremony held at the Vermeer Pavilion in Pella.
College in Macomb Illinois Adds Welding Program: A welding program will arrive on Spoon River College’s Macomb campus next year, according to Randy Greenwell, the college’s vice president of instruction and student services.
The college recently received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program. SRC will match that amount, Greenwell said in an interview Monday, and spend $200,000 to start a welding program in Macomb.
Anonymous Donor Gives Welding Student $1500 Welding Machine: Bradley Ledford graduates from the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in May, and every one I talked to in his classes says he’s a hard worker. Bradley still couldn’t believe it when someone left a pretty big gift for him at school today.
Ledford started taking classes at the TCAT in Elizabethton to be an electrician, but he realized there might be a better fit for him, which led him to welding. Bradley is deaf and Carol Harmon is his interpreter at the college.
Welding Events
IBSC Conference, April 19, 2015: Now in its 6th Year, the IBSC remains the premier event for the brazing and soldering community. For years, the IBSC has provided professionals, scientists and engineers involved in the research, development and application of brazing and soldering, a unique networking and idea-exchange forum. This three-day conference provides cutting-edge education and technical programming for the brazing and soldering community, as well as peer-networking and a full exhibit program, showcasing the latest trends, products, processes and techniques available in the industry.
Welding Gone Wrong
Welder Dies from Burns: A Plainfield Township man died Tuesday afternoon of burns he suffered a week earlier when his clothes caught fire as he did welding work in his home garage, authorities said.
Ronald S. Franks, 67, of 1042 Cressman Road suffered second- and third-degree burns over 68.5 percent of his body in the 3:20 p.m. Nov. 4 fire, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said.
Welding Supplies on Sale
Now that you know what’s going on in the world of welding, visit Baker’s Gas and Welding for the latest deals in welders, welding safety gear, and welding supplies.
