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ESD 112’s Youth Workforce programs collaborates with higher ed to offer Welding Boot Camp

Welding is a sought after skill, however, welding classes at local community colleges and training schools are full of adults looking for a career change or to brush up on welding skills. That makes it difficult for 18-21 year olds without a lot of experience to try welding as a possible career path.

Thanks to a partnership between ESD 112’s Youth Workforce Program and Clark College, youth can try their hand at welding – in a concentrated “boot camp” manner that mirrors a fulltime welding job – all in two weeks.  

Taking advantage of the break between summer and fall terms at Clark College, nine young men and one young woman from the Youth Workforce Program had an opportunity to see if they have what it takes to weld – six-and-half-hours a day - under the tutelage of welding instructor John Kuhn.

For Clark College, it’s a way to use every bit of classroom and welding capacity. For the ten Youth Workforce students, who are funded by the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council’s Workforce Investment Act, it’s a chance to see if they can make it as a welder in a work environment similar to a full-time job while earning college credit.

The students had an opportunity to try a variety of welding techniques. By the end of the two weeks, they understood what it takes to weld and if they enjoyed it enough to pursue it as a career. If the answer is yes, students can continue on into the welding sequence and gain national certification.

The ESD 112 Youth Workforce Program provides year-round career development, job readiness and academic support programs for more than 400 youth ages 16-21 in Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties through a federal Workforce Investment Act contract from the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council.