There is a critical need for trained welders, and it’s getting worse. It is said that by 2010 the U.S. will be short 200,000 welders. We’re losing the welders who have been at it for 25 or 30 years and young workers have become uninterested in the manual trades, and are drawn to white collar and high-tech jobs. Even the high schools are taking out shop classes and gear students to go to college; they’ve lost sight of the other jobs that are out there. A highly skilled welder can make a lot of money, particularly if he or she is willing to travel.
Welding is not just about building cool bikes, cars, skyscrapers, bridges, and airplanes, it’s also a huge part of electronics, medical equipment nanotechnology, and spaceships...the career opportunities are endless!
There’s not enough skilled people, and they have to come from somewhere. That is why AWS has chosen the three spokespersons to represent the industry as a whole and express to our youth (and women) how rewarding welding can be creatively, functionally and financially.
If you're interested, you can find out about training and job opportunities at www.aws.org/w/a/