CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — From repairing vehicles to forging the bonds that hold together towering skyscrapers, welders are essential tradespeople for a large number of industries.
But like many industries across the country, the labor outlook for the welding industry is bleak.
The American Welding Society estimates more than 400,000 welders needed in the U.S. by 2024. Producing highly trained, proficient welding graduates has become a challenge as older welders retire, younger talent isn’t replacing them fast enough.
That’s where schools like Fortis College in Cuyahoga Falls, which teaches a variety of welding applications as part of its welding technology program come into play.
“Welding isn't just welding in the boots and throwing flames and sparks,” said instructor Joshua Parsons. “You can go into many other different aspects as far as testing, sales, you name it.”
The school held its first Golden Arm Welding Competition on Thursday, challenging students to weld projects while following a blueprint. Students are evaluated on their cutting, grinding, fitting, tacking, and finish welding skills.
“You could think of as like a draft class for these guys,” Parsons said. “They get to kind of showcase their skills for the local employers. Then the local employers get to come in and pick the best of the cream of the crop.”
Local industry professionals will judge students’ skills while providing valuable mentorship as they prepare to enter the field. Judges representing welding employers such as Airgas, BWTX, MAC, and LTT, will evaluate student welding projects built by following a blueprint.
“They're going to be looking at the dimensions, the spacing, and then the welds,” said Teddie Martin, a student in the welding technology program. “In this project, we actually had to go around a corner without stopping. And that's kind of difficult because in real life you don't want to stop at corners when you're welding because it and that becomes a weak point.”
Martin’s goal, like others, is to use the connections made in the competition to hopefully land a job after graduation. For Martin, welding has sparked her interest in a career field she might not otherwise have considered.
“I get bored quick. This has kept my attention. I like it,” Martin said. “It's always a challenge. But that feeling you get when you overcome that challenge when you get good at it and you see that you're doing a good job, it's very gratifying.”
The competition and welding project is the culmination of their work at Fortis and provides the ultimate test in front of trained professionals. But Martin doesn’t see it as pressure, more like an opportunity.
“Everyone likes something that's gratifying, you know, the work that they do,” she said.
