The Upper Michigan Welding Educators are excited to announce they will host a Welding Competition on March 9, 2023, as part of the new State, mandated CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organizations) competitions.
This prompted the creation of a local welding competition that will be held at Bay College in Escanaba, Michigan.
Collaboration between Bay College’s Welding Instructor, Nick DuPont, and the Upper Michigan Welding Educators President and Delta Schoolcraft ISD Welding Instructor, Cliff Danis, have organized this inaugural event.
The event will test the skill set where students will be required to take an AWS D1.1 Structural, Welder Performance Qualification.
The first portion of the test will be the American Welding Society (AWS) SENSE written test on many segments related to welding processes measuring the curriculum being taught. The second portion of the testing will be a hands-on welding test that aligns with AWS’s “Welder Performance Qualification Test” as a record of the American Industrial criteria for school-to-work transition.
These timed assessments meet all of the entry-level requirements to a higher level of employment skill sets going directly into the workforce. Most qualified students can expect entry-level employment positions starting out in the range of $18-$26 an hour, without any college education.
The competition is designed to provide students with a measurement of real-world expectations as future welders in the workforce. Welding Educators in the CTE (Career and Technical Education) setting must prepare students for success beyond the secondary school doors.
Within welding, and many other skilled trades programs, there continues to be a tremendous shortage of skilled employees entering the workforce. This year’s demand for such skilled trades gap has continued to have a shortfall of 380,000 jobs unfulfilled in the United States. These are high-paying jobs that have the opportunity for an outstanding career for many years to come.
“As CTE Educators we must look directly into the future to try to provide training for the skilled trades gap, this type of welding competition gives students the credentials to do just that” stated Darin Kearns. Kearns is a 30-year educator of the welding trade who currently teaches Welding Technology at The Wexford-Missaukee Career and Technical Center (WMCTC). Each student has the potential to walk away with international criteria in the welding process, which is recognized by Industry to obtain a very high-paying job. This is a much higher reward than a first-place trophy from other related CTSO State competitions. As a member of UMWE, we measure our success by our students’ success attaining a high-paying job/career and not just a written score like the SAT, ASVAB, and WorkKeys standardized tests.
This Welding Competition has gained the support of the local community and many of the Upper Michigan school districts.
Businesses in the community, like WeldAll Industrial Co. and The Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad (E&LS), have sponsored the event. This eliminates the need for school districts to provide consumables and steel, which is very costly.
Bay College Welding Labs were chosen as the venue for this great welding event to relieve the responsibility of the schools and students. The College has also graciously volunteered its welding facility for the duration of the event. The Upper Michigan Welding Educators collectively extend their appreciation to the contributors within this community that have pitched in, to ensure the success of our students here in Northern Michigan.
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