Instructors at Tulsa Welding School in Tulsa, Okla., designed the Professional Welder program to address the anticipated coming shortfall in welding professionals by providing students with the skills needed to successfully enter the workforce.
Instructors at Tulsa Welding School in Tulsa, Okla., designed the Professional Welder program to address the anticipated coming shortfall in welding professionals by providing students with the skills needed to successfully enter the workforce.
According to AWS, the United States will need more than 300,000 welding professionals by 2026 (weldingworkforcedata.com). For many industries, this gap could have far-reaching consequences, such as drops in production, the inability to meet customer demands, and lost revenue. With new infrastructure plans and goals, construction and clean energy initiatives stand to feel a significant impact. Recruitment efforts at Tulsa Welding School encourage entry into the trade by sharing with potential students the rewards of building a career in welding.
“Everything students learn as they go through the program is going to translate into a real-world aspect,” said Chris Schuler, director of training and student services. “The majority of the welding positions they learn are going to be on the weld test they’re going to take to gain employment.”
Schuler said that knowledge and skill gives graduates a leg up on the competition. When they show up for an interview and secure a job, they need very minimal training. The Professional Welder program gives the company a fast track to get work done and makes it easier for the students to adapt as new employees.
Setting the Foundation for Success
Schuler has seen a wide array of students entering the program. Many times, incoming students have already picked up welding by participating in an agriculture program in high school or a SkillsUSA competition. But more students of all ages who have never touched welding equipment are looking at the opportunities in the industry as a first career or after numerous careers. They see that welding is lucrative and in demand. An increasing number of women are entering the program.
Regardless of age or gender, Schuler said, there are some key factors welding students need to consider to set themselves up for success. Attendance is the main requirement.
“We’d rather have an average welder with perfect attendance vs. a perfect welder with average attendance because if they show up, we can help them to learn even more,” Schuler said.
An open mind is also important. Instructors encourage students to be prepared to ask questions and listen. This can help new employees in the workplace, too, when they are asked to learn the company’s way of doing things.
“Our instructors come from the field, so they’ve been in every area of the industry these students want to go work in,” Schuler said.
Schuler and the other instructors meet with local employers twice a year to find out what students should be learning to join their companies and build viable careers. Employer feedback not only helps inform the program’s curriculum and keeps it current but also provides insight into soft skills that can help students succeed.
Building a solid relationship between the instructors and students also contributes to the students’ success. Schuler said he wants students to keep an eye on the instructor who’s been where they want to be. The students can then have a mentor and a role model to help them understand what to expect when they get out on the job.
“We’re training them to be professionals, so we have to have the answers they need,” Schuler said.
In addition to offering training to meet company expectations, instructors encourage students to hone their skills in every process.
Must-Knows for Welder Training
The Tulsa Welding School’s philosophy is to provide students with a well-rounded curriculum that builds their hands-on skills and general knowledge of welding. That includes learning proper terminology that will set them up for successful communication with future employers and coworkers.
The first course in the Professional Welder program focuses on welding fundamentals to help build critical skills, inform students of career opportunities, and teach them the best safety practices. These, along with learning to read construction drawings and weld symbols, are must-haves in the students’ educations. In this course, they also learn how to set up welding equipment from Miller Electric Mfg. LLC and begin shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) with AWS E7018 electrodes from Hobart. They also learn plasma cutting and carbon arc gouging.
The remaining five welding courses in the program are Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)/Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) Processes, Structural Welding, Basic Pipe Welding, Advanced Pipe Welding, and the Welding Capstone course, which is designed to help students transition from the classroom to the field by focusing on projects that test their welding knowledge and sharpen their skills. They also are challenged to meet production rates that are at industry standards.
Tulsa Welding School’s philosophy is to provide students with a well-rounded curriculum that builds not only their hands-on skills but also their general knowledge of welding.
Entering the Workforce
Tulsa Welding School instructors can help students achieve their goal of working for a specific employer. Instructors provide additional training to meet that employer’s customer recommendations. This also helps support local companies in their recruitment efforts. Graduates enter a variety of fields where they do everything from welding structural buildings and cell phone towers to building government-contracted submarine parts.
“A lot of the employers we deal with come to us and ask for candidates,” Schuler said. “We screen the students, making sure they’ve had good attendance and have done well in the program. We put them in front of the employer, and oftentimes they will come in and administer the weld test here on campus.”
In addition to offering training to meet company expectations, instructors encourage students to hone their skills in every process, even if they aren’t particularly interested in it.
“The goal is to make themselves more marketable,” Schuler said. “That helps both them and the industry’s demand for new welders.”
This article was supplied by Hobart Brothers LLC for the American Welding Society.
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