Making a pitch to get more women into welding
Less than one percent of certified welders in the U.S. are women, even though the job is described as high wage/high demand. That is something a local community college would like to see change.
Southwestern Oregon Community College invited local high school girls to come to campus on Friday to take part in a tutorial titled "New Faces of Welding."
They were pleasantly surprised that the 50 girl capacity was reached so easily.
The girls were learning the tools of the trade from a variety of sources, including instructors, mentors and current welding students.
They say that the average age of a certified welder is currently 55, and people are retiring from the industry at a faster rate than they are able to train new ones.
So, they are trying to inspire these students to take a second look at at job that someone can very easily earn a living wage at.
SWOCC received a community-based job training grant, which is directed at expanding the welding program at the school. They were also able to create a mobile welding lab through that grant.
Southwestern Oregon Community College invited local high school girls to come to campus on Friday to take part in a tutorial titled "New Faces of Welding."
They were pleasantly surprised that the 50 girl capacity was reached so easily.
The girls were learning the tools of the trade from a variety of sources, including instructors, mentors and current welding students.
They say that the average age of a certified welder is currently 55, and people are retiring from the industry at a faster rate than they are able to train new ones.
So, they are trying to inspire these students to take a second look at at job that someone can very easily earn a living wage at.
SWOCC received a community-based job training grant, which is directed at expanding the welding program at the school. They were also able to create a mobile welding lab through that grant.
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