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Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Cloudy skies with periods of rain later in the day. High 69F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Instructor Kevin Fox watches as his student Wyatt Barnett lays a vertical bead during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Sheridan College student Cordel Salsbery does some arc gouging to remove welds from a piece of steel Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Tristin Nichols lays on his back as he works on perfecting his overhead welds during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Tate Clutter uses an angle grinder to smooth out his welds during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Using 7018 rod, Garrett Scheuber completes his final pass on a vertical weld during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2022.
Instructor Kevin Fox watches as his student Wyatt Barnett lays a vertical bead during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Sheridan College student Cordel Salsbery does some arc gouging to remove welds from a piece of steel Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Tristin Nichols lays on his back as he works on perfecting his overhead welds during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Tate Clutter uses an angle grinder to smooth out his welds during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.
Using 7018 rod, Garrett Scheuber completes his final pass on a vertical weld during welding class at Sheridan College Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2022.
SHERIDAN — Tim Anderson, a welding instructor at Sheridan College, has had welding students travel west to Seattle to work on boats, new and old coming into the harbor. The welding career, often intertwined with the manufacturing and production sphere, is a field of diverse specializations.
From coal mines to production lines, by 2025, nearly 400,000 will be needed to fill these jobs, Anderson said. Interest in the field starts early with welding courses offered at Sheridan High School as well as dual enrollment classes at Sheridan College.
Manufacturing and production courses are part of the career technical education course pathways at SHS, which gives students a foothold in the workplace or higher education by partnering with Sheridan College and local businesses.
At SHS, students have the opportunity to gain a level one American Welding Society industry certification.
There are three different classes offered to students. In Welding I, students learn how to do oxy-acetylene welding — also known as gas welding — which is used for repair work and general cutting, and shielded metal arc welding, which uses a particular electrode to accomplish a weld.
In Welding II, students cover gas tungsten arc welding, gas metal arc welding, flux cord arc welding and shielded metal arc welding. The welding techniques teach students how to use different instruments to accomplish different goals on a project.
In Welding III, students complete the level one AWS certification before moving on to project construction courses. This certification is a state certification and shows transferable credentials to professional welders needed in the industry, according to the AWS website.
The transferable credentials are not confined to a specific job and is recognized by national and international standards.
To receive a level one AWS certification, students must complete a shielded metal arc weld, deemed acceptable after a destructive bend test. This test involves the physical destruction of the weld to evaluate its characteristics coupled with several online tests that score the student’s competency.
When students complete the certification, they can move on to a project construction class. In the class, Clay Christensen, a manufacturing and production teacher at SHS, said students have built anything from trailers, “nick-nack” items, artwork and signs using the CNC plasma cutter to “anything and everything.”
“A lot of the kids that struggle and that we see are not good at sitting or being at a desk all day. Our classes allow them to get up and use their hands and have real life applications to stuff — not that other classes don’t — but I think it’s easier for them to see that in our classes. Most of the time when they sign up for one of our classes, they’re interested in what we’re teaching and that’s why they took it,” Christensen said.
After receiving their diploma, students can seek work at local companies like VacuTech, Craftco or EMIT Technologies, to name a few.
“It’s just real-life application,” Christensen said. “It may not be a specific content thing that we’ve taught, but the fact that if you work hard and you show up on time and you’re there for the things you’re responsible to be there for, that takes you a long way in life.”
Students interested in expanding their interest can take a general welding or a creative welding course at Sheridan College, jumpstarting a two-year welding degree and seek employment opportunities in the field during this time, Anderson said.
Combining a welding degree with diesel mechanics is a “smart decision,” Anderson said. Anderson recalls many students work summer jobs in welding and diesel mechanics that offset the cost of college.
Those pursuing the two-year option, are better communicators in the workplace and can use general education courses to strengthen their mobility within a company, Anderson said.
In the second year of the degree, there’s more emphasis on pipe welding in the manufacturing courses.
Kevin Fox, a welding instructor at Sheridan College, focuses on the manufacturing side, and one part of his classes is teaching students how to read blueprints for building projects. Students must also be able to estimate the cost of a weld and put together a final project for a fictitious business, mirroring what they will do in their career.
From Montana to Alaska, the welding field offers a diverse array of jobs all over the country and the opportunity to travel and see it. The skills obtained through the courses offered benefit them on the job.
“We do a lot of tests. Plate tests and we do pipe tests and it familiarizes them with what they’re going to see out in the field. So when they step on the job, they can feel like they’re competent and they’re not going to be scared of not knowing what they’re doing and they can go there and be confident with their ability,” Anderson said.
With the shift toward a growing field of vocational jobs, there also comes the challenge of negative stigmas associated with blue-collar work, Anderson said.
“We still need them. They will always be there. We have to have a sector that can produce what we need,” Anderson said.
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