SPRINGDALE -- Northwest Arkansas businesses may soon have access to a larger number of qualified welders because of a proposed welding diploma program at Northwest Technical Institute.
Members of the school's board approved creating a welding program during a meeting Wednesday. State approval still must be obtained.
Fast Facts (w/logo)
Welding Careers
• The median pay for welding-related careers in 2012 was $36,300 per year or $17.45 per hour.
• Most of the jobs require a high school diploma or equivalent for entry level positions. Training includes technical school or on-the-job training.
• There were 357,400 jobs in these careers in 2012.
• The careers will have a job growth rate of 6 percent from 2012 to 2022. The average growth rate for all occupations is 11 percent.
• Employees in the career fields perform indoor and outdoor work.
• Most work in these careers is full time, and overtime is common.
Source: bls.gov
At A Glance (w/logo)
Instruction Areas For Welding Program
• Basic safety and welding safety
• Hand tools and power tools
• Construction math
• Basic employability skills
• Cutting torches
• Plasma cutters
• Arc welding
• Metal inert gas welding
• Tungsten inert gas welding
• Metal fabrication
• Welding symbols
• Blue print reading
• Weld quality and testing
Source: Northwest Technical Institute
The program could help the Northwest Arkansas economy by keeping welding students and their salaries local, said Mark Mansell, chairman of the welding program. Northwest Technical already has a high-school welding program and an evening community education welding program, but neither offer a diploma.
"Welding is a growing field," Mansell said. "We're running into a shortage because all the baby boomers are retiring."
The curriculum of the new program will be the same as the high school program, and will require students to complete an internship and become certified by the American Welding Society and the National Center for Construction Education and Research, Mansell said. Students in the program will also have to complete two 16-week semesters and one summer session.
Society certification was optional in the original plans for the program, Mansell said. Marsha Jones, board president, said during the board meeting she was concerned about the certification being optional. She wanted it to be a requirement for graduation.
"Why would we give credit for the seat time if they can't do the work?" she asked.
Certification is generally more valuable than a diploma for basic welding jobs, because certification proves a person was tested in a skill set by an outside organization, while a diploma doesn't, said David Hernandez, director of education development for the American Welding Society. A diploma in welding would be more valuable for more complicated welding jobs, such as robotics, aerospace and laser welding.
There is a large need for welders in the U.S., Hernandez said. Officials estimate by 2020, there will be a shortage of about 200,000 welders in the country. It's also more difficult for employers to find welders who have the advanced skill set a diploma program offers.
Mansell said he surveyed management at local companies, including Multi-Craft Contractors and Marshalltown. They all said they need trained welders. He said program officials will stay in contact with the businesses to place students in jobs when they graduate.
The program will begin with 20 students and grow from there, said Robbie Cornelius, vice president of instruction. Officials want to start the program with a small group so it's easier to "work the kinks out," he said.
Institute officials will present their plans for the program to the Arkansas Department of Career Education in August, Cornelius said. Tuition will probably be between $4,000 and $5,000. The program will open in August 2015 if state officials approve.
NW News on 07/03/2014