Hard Work Spotlights Character

Career Day provides a meaningful opportunity to tell students about the bright future available to them through careers in welding technologies. Many times a Career Day is hosted by a teacher for a specific class, or through the counseling department for all students to attend. These educators need to know that welding professionals in their area are available to speak to students about this industry.

Below you will find sample letters to send to the technical teacher at a local school, or the school counselor. Because counselors often are busy with other school issues, you may get a faster response by contacting the technical teacher directly. Always follow up your letter with a phone call.

When you present, be prepared. You are the salesperson for the welding industry. The good impression you make at Career Day could inspire a future welding professional!

Take advantage of these resources:

· Download the Careers in Welding AWS PowerPoint Presentation

· Request the Video, Welding Holds the World Together - email gleposky@aws.org.

· Request colorful Welding Poster, Take Up the Torch - email gleposky@aws.org.

· Download Sample Letters for letter-writing campaign as Microsoft Word .doc
Letter to Counselor – Sample Letter. (Send your resume with this letter, if possible.)
Letter to Technical Instructor – Sample Letter.

 

CAREER DAY – PRESENTATION OUTLINE

To help you prepare for your Career Day presentation, we’ve prepared the following talking points to serve as an outline for the information you want to impart. Counselors and teachers encourage presenters to keep their discussion brief, well thought out, and broken up with multi-media materials.

A 15-minute presentation should follow these steps:

1. Greet students and instructor – thank them for allowing you to visit.
2. Play the “Welding Holds the World Together” commercial. 30 sec. MPG or 60 sec. MPG.
3. Take 7-10 minutes to tell students what you do, where you went to school, what technologies you specialize in, and an overview of your daily responsibilities. Include an approximate wage for entry-level professionals in your field, and the top wage that experienced professionals can expect to earn.
4. Start the “Careers in Welding” PowerPoint presentation.
5. Ask for questions.
6. When questions are finished, pass out “Take Up the Torch” posters and encourage students to visit the Web site for more career information.
7. When posters have been distributed, thank students and teacher for their time.