MASON CITY – In response to the high demand for production welders in the North Iowa area, North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) is offering a 40–hour, non-credit Production Welding course.
This new course will provide participants with the skills necessary for entry level manufacturing welding with the Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG) process. The course will be offered at times conducive to people who work during the day.
This class is scheduled to meet in the Buettner Careers Building on the NIACC campus on these dates and times:
· Tuesdays – Oct. 8, 15, 22 – 5:00-9:00 p.m.
· Thursdays – Oct. 10, 17, 24 – 5:00-9:00 p.m.
· Saturdays – Oct. 12 & 19 – 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
“This is another option for those interested in a career in welding to quickly get the skills they need to get a good job,” said Terry Schumaker, NIACC Dean of Continuing Education. “This is different than the welding program NIACC offers as a full year diploma program in that it has a very concentrated focus on the specific welding skills used in a manufacturing setting.”
Participants will gain an understanding of proper welding techniques and procedures for welding structural carbon steel with the Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG) process. Skills will be developed in flat, horizontal and vertical position welding of fillet welds. Welder qualification testing is an available option, and will be attempted at the level where success can be attained. Personal protective equipment will be provided to students.
Full tuition assistance is available to students who qualify through the GAP Tuition Assistance Program. Additionally, the Mitchell County Economic Development Commission has secured grant funds through The Foundation for the Enhancement of Mitchell County. They will provide a $250 scholarship toward course tuition for any Mitchell County resident. Also, anyone taking the course who goes to work for a Mitchell County industry within 90 days of taking the course will be refunded $250 of the cost of the course.
For more information and to register, call the NIACC Continuing Education Division at 1-641-422-4358.
I came looking for this article because I missed it. LVS, I’m glad you commented on it and clarified welding skills in your comment. However, NIACC is trying to meet needs in OUR area with this class. I had heard some time ago that there is a shortage of welders and there was no local training. I believe I had even posted about the problem on NIT and that our college needed to offer classes in skills like this where there were shortages of workers. I was very impressed that NIACC had finally offered a course that would fulfill the need for welders. I hope they had a lot of people sign up for the course. If they had more people sign up than there are jobs for, perhaps they could offer stick welding for those interested in moving to ND to work for big money. However, it doesn’t serve our area well to train people for highly skilled jobs that will move them out of our area, but most educated and skilled tech people seem to do that anyway because there are no jobs here. We are in a Catch-22: no jobs for skilled workers and no workers for skilled jobs. It would be wonderful if we could find an industry that would collaborate with NIACC to train a skilled labor force for a business in the process of locating here. We need to target education for people to stay, come, and work here in a skilled industry that is willing to locate here so that the work force is fully trained and ready to work when it opens. Yes, it sounds like a pipe dream and would take the right kind of industry, but it could work and needs to be pitched.
This is a good thing but does not go far enough. They need to teach stick welding as well. It wouldn’t take that much more and then they would have field welding jobs available as well. Welding can be a dirty job but it does pay well if they can get certified. Especially A.P.I certification. A good contract welder can make 80K p/year in the oil fields.