MASON CITY – North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) now offers students the ability to earn an American Welding Society (AWS) Certification at the completion of their welding program. This is a nationally recognized credential which certifies that students are able to successfully demonstrate the skills they have learned in their training program(s). The AWS certification translates to greater career opportunities regionally and nationally in a high demand occupation. The US Department of Labor predicts a need for 375,000 more welders in the U.S. by 2024 and 5,500 more in Iowa.
The certification is particularly important for graduating students as they seek new employment, validating their education and increasing employability. This credential also serves regional employers by providing a vetting system for potential welding candidates and can be used as a testament to the quality of work they provide.
“The ability of NIACC to provide an avenue for our welding students to achieve AWS certification is more important now than ever. Third party credentials like AWS prove to employers that our welding students come out of the NIACC Welding Program with the skills to hit the ground running and to provide immediate value to their workplace,” said Josh Byrnes, NIACC’s Industrial Division Chair.
Certification for NIACC students will be provided through a recently-formed partnership between NIACC and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC). This welding facility, located at the DMACC Southridge Center, has recently been designated as an Accredited Testing Facility (ATF) by the American Welding Society. Prior to this year, those with a desire to become AWS certified were forced to seek accreditation out of state. Now, with the help of the statewide Iowa-Advanced Manufacturing TAACCCT Grant, four community colleges have already established ATFs, and that number is on track to double by 2016.
