Welders trained at the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton are entering the workforce by the dozens each year and the demand for them continues to grow, according to Dale Hicks, welding instructor at TTC-Elizabethton.
By 2010, there will be a nationwide shortage of 200,000 welders, according to the American Welders Society. Welding is a $34 billion industry within the manufacturing, construction and mining sector, according to AWS.
In 2005 and 2006, all graduates of the 12-month Welding program at TTC-Elizabethton were employed in their field of study. Among area employers were Eastman, TVA, Bush Hog, Flour Daniels, Star Building Systems and Powell Construction Co., to mention a few.
Hicks attributes the success of the TTC-Elizabethton Welding program to the close working relationship established with welding instructors at Cloudland, Dobyns-Bennett, Hampton, Happy Valley, Johnson County, Sullivan East, Unaka and Unicoi County High Schools.
"In the past, students from these high schools have demonstrated a high level of achievement in welding, which requires basics math skills and good hand-eye coordination," Hicks said.
In fiscal year 1994-1995, the Welding program at TTC-Elizabethton had the highest average lifetime earnings, $3,332,442, of all programs taught there, according to a recent study by the Tennessee State University College of Business.
The Welding program teaches techniques of welding processes commonly used in industry, such as Shielded Metal Arc (STICK), Gas Tungsten Arc (TIG) and Gas Metal Arc (MIG).
"Welding is not a job that can be easily automated. Experienced welders can command salaries ranging from $60,000 to $100,000 per year. Although welding is a dirty and dangerous job, it represents an attractive livelihood to many people," Hicks said.
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