One HOT profession: CPE sees continued interest in welding

Maybe it's the idea of playing with fire for a living that gets students' attention or perhaps it's the solid income potential. Either way, welding has long been a popular career choice among MCC students.

The annual projected job growth in the welding industry for 2006-2016 is 3-9%, which represents 107,000 additional employees. The median wage starts at $15 an hour, but rises to as much as $22 with experience. That's why MCC Continuing Professional Education encourages welding students and incumbent workers to upgrade their skills through continuing education and training.

A course in Advanced Pipe Welding, starting in January at MCC-Business & Technology, will give welders with intermediate skills the edge they need to advance their careers.



Know a welder looking to upgrade her or his skills? Send them this info!
Know someone looking for a new, hands-on career? Encourage them to explore MCC's whole suite of welding offerings.

MCC-BTC Welding Student awarded $500 Scholarship

Carolyn Cassidy with welding program coordinator, Dr. Tim Gill

Carolyn Cassidy, recipient of the Edgar Jimenez Scholarship, wants to be an artist but she plans to be a welder first.

“My first attempt at welding was in my first welding class,” says Carolyn. “I had zero previous experience with welding – I had never held a welding gun until I got to MCC-BTC.” However, she has climbed to the top of the class.

“Carolyn is a great welder – she has a perfect combination of skill, patience, ambition, and the desire to learn,” says Dr. Tim Gill, welding program coordinator. “That’s why I encouraged her to apply for the Edgar Jimenez Scholarship.”

Carolyn is now $500 wealthier due to the donation and scholarship set up by MCC student, Edgar Jimenez. After retirement, Edgar has audited classes at MCC for the last 15 years. As token of his appreciation, Jimenez donated $500 for a scholarship to be awarded to a deserving student. This year that student is Carolyn Cassidy.

At age 20, Carolyn says she has always wanted to be an artist. “I was planning to go straight into art school, but my uncle, who is also a welder, encouraged me to take welding classes as a way to both create art and have a skill to fall back on,” says Carolyn.

“I would like to design and build large metal sculptures some day. The welding skills I am learning now will certainly be of use when I am out of school,” Carolyn says.

After finishing her A.A.S. degree in Welding and Management, Carolyn plans to transfer to a 4-year school to work on a bachelor’s degree in art.

For more information about the new A.A.S. degree in Welding and Management click here.

MCC-Business & Technology welding technology coordinator earns PhD

Congratulations to Dr. Tim Gill who has completed his Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction, majoring in Practical Arts and Vocational Technical Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Gill's dissertation, titled “Teacher Induction Programs and Their Effectiveness on the Retention of Secondary Trade and Industrial Teachers in Missouri,” certainly connects with programming at MCC-Business & Technology.

Gill coordinates the welding program at BTC and has been the architect behind its new American Welding Society-based curriculum. In addition to his Ph.D, Tim also holds AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Certified Welding Educator (CWE) certifications.

MCC short-term welding program prepares student for work with manufacturer

MCC Continuing Professional Education (MCC CPE) is helping area residents get ready for work. Cole Homer recently completed a cohort-style 300-hour welding program through a partnership between Full Employment Council (FEC) and MCC CPE. Immediately after completion, Cole was hired by Webco Manufacturing, Inc. in Olathe, Kan. Webco is an employee owned company in the custom, production, and industrial fabrication industry.

Instructor, Jeffrey Metz, said the students have very little, or no, welding experience upon entering the program.

“I didn’t know if I’d be good at welding,” said Homer. “I have never done anything like this before, but I felt ready when I started my new job, and [they] are giving me on-the-job training.”

The program focuses on three common welding processes; SMAW (shielded metal arc welding), GMAW (gas metal arc welding) and GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding). The courses are based on American Welding Society standards to get the student workforce ready. Welding classes are held at MCC-Business & Technology campus (MCC-BTC).

During the program, students are provided help with resume writing, job search strategies, and interviewing skills by the instructor. Metz is a part-time instructor with more than 20 years experience in the U.S. Air Force as a machinist and air craft welder. He has worked at several machine shops and is soon going to work full-time for MCC-BTC employer partner, Harley Davidson, as a welding engineer.

Metz believes that it is important to equip these students not only with information, but hands-on skills so they feel comfortable at work from the very first day. According to Metz, Homer was able to catch-on to the material quickly because of the blend of 75 percent hands-on and 25 percent classroom instruction. This blend of hands-on training and classroom instruction is the model in all MCC CPE programs.

The goal is to prepare unemployed or underemployed people for work, or promotion in their current position.

For more information, go to mcckc.edu/getreadyforwork or call 816.604.1600.

MCC in the news

MCC was featured in a recent front page article in The Kansas City Star, where columnist Diane Stafford explored the issue of structural unemployment. Stafford profiled two laid-off workers who are training for new careers late in life, including Daniel Dennis, a student at MCC-Business & Technology who is taking welding classes as he faces a September layoff from American Airlines.