Large or Small, Celebrate Success

As I read this, a welding instructor is inspiring a student. In the time it took to write this, a welder has changed the skyline. In every city, in every state, we go to work and make lives a little easier. Success stories. They’re all around us. Some can be seen below, others haven't been written yet. What’s yours? If you don’t have one, take one of ours and pass it on. That’s what they’re here for.

With every new student who enters the welding industry, we have made progress in advancing the image of welding. From high school to college, scholarships to the job market, two AWS sections share how they’ve achieved success in helping local students achieve their dreams. Find out how they made a difference in their community! Can you top these tips? E-mail your story to the AWS marketing and communications department at gleposky@aws.org.

 

SUCCESS STORIES

HOW A HIGH SCHOOL WELDING PROGRAM
WENT FROM STRUGGLING TO SUCCESSFUL!

In 1998, the welding program at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) in Sewell, New Jersey, had only eight students registered. Now the program has reached capacity, with more than 30 students enrolled! How did it happen? According to instructor Dan Roskiewich, he and the members of Philadelphia section 001 have made a commitment to advancing the image of welding. For Dan, who is also his section’s education chairman, that means encouraging students to pursue careers in the welding industry. It's a big task, not easy to accomplished. Here’s how section 001 achieves success:

Take a genuine interest in the student’s future
· Meet with local corporations and let them know that your students are talented and hard working – get in the employment loop!

· Register students as AWS Student Members – pay for the first year with funds budgeted from the school program, and encourage them to continue their membership for a lifetime!

Conduct a parent’s night
· Call parents when they will be home (over the weekend) and invite them to come in, ask questions, and review the program.
· Convey the message that skilled trades are crucial. “Kids and parents need to know that nothing is wrong with being a tradesman!”

Students test their skills
· Encourage students to get involved with the SkillsUSA Weld skills contest.
· Search out community projects to which they can apply their skills in a “real world” setting, to help out the community.

Reward students
· Bring them to section meetings to hear a speaker and meet the other members.
· Budget for a trip to the AWS Welding Show student day. “The kids would rather do that than a senior trip!”

Prepare students for the job market
· Run your welding program like a business: “When the bell rings, students get to work.”
· Appoint students to be “shop foreman” and “assistant foreman.” Make them responsible for shop cleanup, keeping a running inventory of materials.
· Institute a student-led safety committee. Students hold a shop safety meeting once a month. The instructor supplies the information, students run the committee.
· Teach them that good attendance is important in a job.
· Instruct them on proper safety procedures

Establish a welding program “advisory board” composed of professionals from your local welding industry.
· Take responsibility for selecting the members of that board.
· Include welding salespeople on the board. They know the latest technology, and they’re often a great source for job leads for students.
· Hold meetings three times a year to evaluate program and equipment needs in line with industry developments.
· Have the advisory board sign off on a budget before presenting it to administration.

Don’t underestimate “word of mouth.”
Enrollment in welding programs depends on the opinions of other kids. “Kids come because they tell other kids they went through the program, and got a job.”

Do you want to contact the Philadelphia section? Find it here, http://www.aws.org/sections/phila/

 

MAKING THE MOST OF DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

College tuition is rising every year, and the cost for an education is high, but can our nation afford not to educate our young people? To help defray the cost of a welding technology education, volunteers in AWS Mobile, Alabama, section 091 are making the most of the scholarship fund developed as a partnership program between the AWS Foundation and AWS sections.

These scholarship monies are one of the most important tools we have to introduce young people into the welding industry. More students pursuing a welding technology education means a stronger welding industry and economy.

Jerry Betts shared the success that Mobile section 091 has earned by “being lionhearted” in support of local students through the AWS Foundation’s District Scholarship Program:

· Encourage students to submit their scholarship application directly to your section in advance. Don’t review it for the first time at district conferences.
· Ask for additional information to help your section represent the students better:

· Request letters detailing the students' academic plans, in lieu of personal interviews.
· Get a feel for their work by requesting letters from students' academic advisor.
· Review the students' transcripts. “This just gives us a feel for their ability to go the distance if we fund them. We don't require As or Bs.”
· Request a letter from an employer. “Preferably someone in welding to find out what processes they've used, how they've learned welding, etc., or at least a feel for their work ethic in a summer or part-time job.”

Students will appreciate the genuine support they will receive from your section through these efforts. Imagine the influence you can have by helping students achieve their dream of attending college!

Consider the two success stories Jerry shared as evidence of the need for scholarship support:

Past student Janna Boevink now works as a mechanical engineer in Tallahassee, Florida. She was able to achieve her dream through District Scholarship funds she received thanks to the efforts of the Mobile section.
“We funded her for a year of junior college for $1,000, then three or four years of college at the University of Florida for $1,500 to $2,000 each year!” Jerry said proudly. “She's now graduated, working and – I believe – a member of AWS.”

The other success story is about Rusty Baumgardner. He began as a scholarship recipient from the Mobile Section, but in the end he declined the award after moving to Texas to take advantage of lower tuition as a resident. He went on to attend LeTourneau University, and is now working as a mechanical engineer for Berg Steel Pipe in Panama City, Florida. Rusty credits the Mobile Section with giving him the encouragement he needed to continue his education and help him achieve his dreams.

Find out how your section can support the District Scholarship Program
http://www.aws.org/foundation/opportunities.html

Do you want to contact the Mobile section? Find it here,
http://www.aws.org/sections/mobile/

 

HOW TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON COMMUNITY MEDIA AND PROJECTS

The York, Pennsylvania, Section 043 is promoting the image of welding with the AWS television and radio spots, “Welding Holds The World Together.”

After successfully offering commercial sponsorship to local manufacturers, three local TV stations and one radio station will broadcast these commercials with the sponsors’ information shown at the end of the advertisement.

The York section has not stopped with achieving commercial sponsorship. Its members recently discovered that the playground equipment in a local park needs repairs, so they are connecting York welding students with the managing municipality, and arranging for local manufacturers to donate equipment to include the whole community in the repair process. Through these ongoing efforts, students have a chance to gain practical work experience, and local businesses can gain valuable publicity from donating supplies. This idea should result in a valuable success.

Congratulations to Claudia Bottenfield, and the York Image of Welding Committee for two fantastic projects!

Why not try similar projects in your community? Every section should have a 30-second and 60-second copy of “Welding Holds The World Together.” For information on how to use these commercials, contact George Leposky at 305-443-9353 extension 416, or email gleposky@aws.org.

Visit the York section online, www.aws.org/sections/york43