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Rapid Response
New Certificate Leads to Jobs in Heavy-Plate Welding
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A new welding certificate offered by Milwaukee Area Technical College creates a launching pad to customized welder training and jobs at heavy manufacturers such as Bucyrus International, Inc. of South Milwaukee. MATC developed the program on a fast track as a result of discussions with CEOs who reported having trouble finding enough welders with the right skills for their specialized needs.
The intensive, 12-week, 350-hour training program leads to a certificate in flux core welding. To qualify, students need to achieve Accuplacer test scores of 55 in reading, 60 in writing and 36 in math. Also, students must have taken Welding 326 and 327; or have two years’ industry experience in gas metal arc welding; or be state certified in structural welding.
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Classes start March 21. Tuition cost for the 11-credit sequence is $968. For more information, please contact: Larry Gross, welding instructor, (414) 456 5454; or Tom Wichert, program counselor, (414) 456-5451.
A Training Continuum
“This training is designed to dovetail with the customized in-house training at companies like Bucyrus and P&H Mining Equipment,” said MATC’s John Stilp. Now interim vice president and administrator of the Mequon Campus, Stilp coordinated development of the program in his former job as dean of the college’s Technology and Applied Sciences division. “To get in at Bucyrus, say, you need a specific set of baseline skills. This certificate training will provide you with that baseline, qualifying you for further specialized training in heavy-plate welding and then on to a good job.”
“We have welders here who are making upwards of $70,000 a year,” said Steve Brahm, Bucyrus vice president of manufacturing. “These are very well-paying jobs.” Brahm was one of the manufacturing executives who helped MATC design the curriculum. His boss, Bucyrus president and CEO Tim Sullivan, got the ball rolling in a talk he gave last September at a Power Breakfast forum sponsored by the Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee. MATC officials sat in the audience as Sullivan spoke of shortcomings in welder training at the college. The Business Journal subsequently reported his comments.
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Dorothy Walker
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“It wasn’t an easy message to listen to; we could have become defensive,” said MATC President Darnell E. Cole. “Instead, our team and I went out to talk to Mr. Sullivan and find out more about what exactly he wanted from us. These discussions were very fruitful and convinced us that we needed to do something, and sooner rather than later.” Cole added: “Some people might have viewed this as a difficult situation, but I saw it as an opportunity. This is just what technical colleges are supposed to do.”
ECAM Component
Dorothy Walker, associate dean of manufacturing occupations, emphasized that the flux core welding certificate aligns not just with Bucyrus, but other manufacturers that specialize in heavy-plate welding. If demand warrants, she also said the program is expandable as MATC builds the center for Energy for Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing at the Oak Creek Campus. ECAM will train workers for cutting-edge manufacturing careers while promoting energy-efficient factory facilities. “Our training capacity in this type of welding will more than double once ECAM comes online,” Walker said.
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