Every day in thousands of shipyards, automotive assembly plants and construction sites, highly trained welders are working to build the structures and products on which the American economy depends.
The professionals with this in-demand skill form the backbone of industry. Before making a decision on welding as a career, most students are curious about what welding is and what it can do. Welding is used to permanently join two or more pieces of metal. Using heat generated by lasers, gases or electricity, welders and welding-machine operators build and repair thousands of products and structures. Skyscrapers are welded. Cars contain hundreds of welds. Parts of the chair you are sitting in right now was probably welded.
Since welding is a highly technical skill and so important to many industries, the demand for skilled welders is high. Welders who know a variety of welding methods using a wide array of tools and procedures could find themselves working on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, on top of
the tallest buildings in New York City or on the U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. Sounds exciting, but you can't get there if you don’t learn the skills. That is where the programs developed by the American Welding Society can help.
The American Welding Society, AWS, is the largest welding organization in the world. AWS has spent years developing and refining the best ways to weld everything from a building’s steel to pipelines under the ocean. As a part of its mission, AWS trains the next generation of welders.
The key to this training is the AWS Schools Excelling through National Skills Education program, SENSE. Developed with help from the U.S. Department of Education, the SENSE program is the best way for students interested in becoming welders to gain the skills and experience they need to succeed.
The S.E.N.S.E. program is divided into three skill levels: entry, intermediate and advanced. The Entry-Level Welder, or Level I, portion of the program introduces students to the science and application of welding. This stage teaches students the basics of welding, including the importance
of welding safely. Many students have found this part of the SENSE program so valuable that they are able to start their welding career immediately.
Though there are a lot of entry-level welding jobs out there, the more education and experience students can gain, the better off they will be. The advanced-level and expert-level portions of the SENSE open the door to a wider variety of welding procedures and applications, and give students the opportunity to explore everything a career in welding has to offer.
With the rapid advances being made in welding technology, you have a greater chances for landing your dream job the more training and skills you develop.
Now that you’ve decided on a career in welding and found the right school, there is still another way AWS can help you reach your goals. The AWS Foundation annually gives thousands of dollars in scholarships, grants and
loans to students in welding-related programs. All the information you need, including an application, is available on-line.
Want to learn more about careers in welding, or need help finding the school that is right for you? AWS can help. From career advice and scholarships to welding guides and job-placement assistance, AWS is your one-stop source for welding-related information. To learn more about the AWS SENSE program, scholarships and grants available from the AWS Foundation, or just to see more of what welding is all about, visit the American Welding Society's Web site at http://www.aws.org.
On the AWS site, you can read articles on the science behind welding, learn from welding pros from around the world and become an active participant in the world's largest welding-related organization. All that a career in welding has to offer is just a mouse click away.
L. William Myers is 2000-2001 president of the American Welding Society.
