National welding talent pool in spotlight in college labs
Monday, June 17, 2024
Photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor
Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted some of the best young welders in the nation last week. The college’s 55,000-square-foot welding facility served as the home for two national competitions, conducted by Project MFG, a skilled-trades advocacy group. A mix of high school and trade school students from throughout the country advanced through qualifying rounds to make the finals of the National Welding League Championship and the Maritime National Championship.
The 18 finalists for the National Welding League Championship had to assemble and weld a model space shuttle with rocket boosters. The 16 students vying for the Maritime National Championship were tasked with assembling and welding a model destroyer ship. The prizes were identical for both hands-on competitions: $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second and $2,500 for third.
Several Penn College welding faculty served as judges for the championships.
“For us to be able to link up with Project MFG and host the nationwide competitions is a phenomenal way to expose more young people to the field of welding, as well as more people to Penn College,” said Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies.
Both competitions will be chronicled in separate episodes of “Clash of Trades,” a video series presented by Project MFG. The episodes taped at Penn College will premiere in mid-July on Project MFG’s YouTube Channel.