What Kind of Career Can You Expect?
Welding graduates often find positions fabricating new products such as industrial machinery, steel structures, transportation equipment, railroad engines/cars, farm equipment, and more. Skilled welders are also needed for jobs in repair and construction.
Many graduates also find excellent self-employment opportunities in both urban and rural areas.
What is the Outlook for Job Opportunities and Pay?
The U.S. Labor Department lists over 150 occupations that require the skills of trained welders–opportunities for employment are plentiful. In the Pacific Northwest particularly, there are more welding-related jobs than qualified people to fill them.
Graduates can expect to start at a wage range of $12 to $14 per hour in area fabrication shops. Pay rates are even higher if you choose to work in the construction industry.
What Skills, Traits, or Prep Classes Would be Helpful?
– Sound math and spatial skills
– Mechanical aptitude
– Good hand-eye coordination
– Solid reading skills
– Ability to work well on a team
– Precise attention to detail
What Will You Learn to Do?
– Perform many welding processes, including:
- Shielded Metal ARC Welding (SMAW) (STICK)
- Gas Metal ARC Welding (GMAW) (MIG)
- Flux Cored ARC Welding (FCAW)
- Gas Tungsten ARC Welding (GTAW) (TIG)
– Perform manual, semi-automatic, and automatic oxygen-acetylene burning
– Perform air carbon ARC and plasma cutting and gouging
– Operate fabrication tools and equipment
– Read blueprints
– Utilize appropriate fabrication techniques
– Maintain quality control
– Identify properties of materials
– Understand basic metallurgy
A typical day involves classroom training and hands-on lab experience, with the opportunity to practice on almost a daily basis. This program also prepares you to take welder qualification/certification tests required by the industry.
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