Tag: ECC welding program

Welding Students Complete Internship at G.H. Tool & Mold

June 20, 2023 | Campus News ECC Rolla

Four East Central College welding graduates completed an internship during their final semester, where they thrived while practicing hands-on skills and learning from professionals.

James Baxter, Macey Hargrove, Joelle Phillips and Erica Stockell were welcomed into the G. H. Tool & Mold plant in Washington for four weeks during the spring as part of their Certificate of Achievement in Welding. Each of the four students graduated from ECC in May, and they all received scholarships through the Metallica Scholars Initiative.

According to Bobby Bland, welding program coordinator, the goal of the internship was to learn and experience welding in a practical setting, and witness how a manufacturing plant operates.

“I am very thankful that a company like G.H. Tool has partnered with us to provide our students experience with working on real-world projects and getting the feel of working in a plant with skilled welders,” he said. “As instructors, we can talk about the experience all we want in class, but for students to be in that production environment it is higher education at its finest.”

Employees of G.H. Tool were impressed with the skills the students already had when they walked into the plant, and their enthusiasm for the trade. From the first day of the internship, G.H.’s experienced tradesmen were eager to teach the students even more techniques necessary in a manufacturing setting.

“It was wonderful to see that kind of work ethic from these young people,” said toolmaker Kent Turnbough. “They gave me a real boost, and we all enjoyed working with them.”

“This has been a great experience for everyone involved, and these students have a very bright future,” added Julie Scannell, G.H. Tool human resources director. “We really value our ongoing partnership with ECC, and everything the College has done to respond to the needs of our local manufacturers.”

Student Experience

Phillips, Rolla, worked in several areas of the G. H. Tool plant and learned from every employee she worked with.

“The people have been wonderful, the work enjoyable and the availability of new things to learn has been never ending,” she said. “The number of skills I’ve been able to add to my belt, and words of advice I’ve received from these wonderful people, has been astounding.”

The skills the students experienced during the four-week internship include working with blueprints, sandblasting, using a laser welder; and learning to use tools like micrometers, edge finders, calipers and profilometers.

“Any area I wanted to learn more about, I was allowed and encouraged to go,” Phillips commented. “This internship is something I will always remember and will now be a major part of how I will function as a worker in the future.”

In addition to picking up new skills, the students expanded upon what they already learned about in the welding program through hands-on practice and by watching professionals.

“I observed more comfortable and efficient ways to weld, more specifically different ways to hold the torch, how to rest my hands, or ways to hold the filler metal,” Phillips said. “These simple tips have helped me tremendously and have made me a more efficient welder.

“There was always a way to improve or learn something new and even coming to the end of it I was still learning new things,” she added.

ECC’s Welding Program

ECC offers several affordable options to train for a career in welding, including a Certificate of Achievement and a Certificate of Specialization, both two semesters and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Welding.

The College also offers a 16-week Fast Track Welding program, in which students meet four days or evenings every week for four months and can earn a Certificate of Specialization.

All ECC’s welding courses are taught in the state-of-the-art welding lab in our Business and Industry Center on the Union campus. There are scholarships and financial aid available.

For more information about the ECC welding program, visit www.eastcentral.edu/career-technical-education/welding/, or contact Bland at 636-649-5810 or bobby.bland@eastcentral.edu.

ECC Partners With Manufacturer to Provide Internships for Welding Students

February 14, 2023 | Campus News

East Central College and WEG Transformers USA embarked on a collaboration project that has benefited both the college’s welding students and the Washington-based manufacturer of power transformers.

WEG Transformers provided an internship for four ECC Welding students who learned the ropes while working for the industry. Through the internship, the students gained hands-on, real-word experience at the manufacturer. WEG is a multi-national company that produces power and distribution transformers at its Washington plant for North America and overseas.

The students — Holly Downey, Sadie Meyer, Zach Regot and Cole Vance — completed the internship in the Fall 2022 semester and earned 5 credits hours each.

WEG and ECC developed a four-week internship that assesses students from safety, attendance, welding, blueprint reading and communication, according to ECC Welding Program Coordinator Bobby Bland.

“The interns were partnered with select employees from WEG that would be a great fit to the needs of the students, while working with the employees, students got to see first-hand to what working in a manufacturing facility was really like,” Bland said. “As instructors we can talk about the experience all we want in class but for student to be in that production environment it is higher learning education at its finest.”

Once they completed the internship, students were given a writing assignment to reflect on their experience at WEG.

“The papers were above and beyond my expectations of what they learned while they participated in the internship,” said Dr. Richard Hudanick, dean of career and technical education. “Students wrote about their struggles, triumphs and excitement, coming back with more value that they can share with their fellow students in class, which really engaged the rest of the class.”

“These students are developing talent in an ever-expanding field of transformer manufacturing where welding is core,” he added. “This is a success story.”

WEG USA Human Resource Director Chris Vansickle said the ECC students worked closely alongside WEG employees and learned from the company’s culture.

“We value each individual contribution to our success, and we motivate people by means of integrity, ethics and constant support to personal development,” he said. “Working as a team, we gather the best knowledge, intelligence and skill to constantly improve our work and benefit our customers.

“Every day we work to make things better. All products, processes and developments are driven by the desire to increase efficiency,” Vansickle added.

Hudanick said Bland met with the four students, and WEG supervisors and employees after the conclusion of the internship to gather information to make the next collaboration even more successful.

“Internships and apprenticeships are the future of filling manufacturing employment opportunities within our community,” Hudanick said.

ECC and WEG Partnerships

The College’s Adult Education and Literacy program and WEG already had been working together before the welding internships.

More than 30 WEG employees are being taught English Language Acquisition (ELA) courses through the ECC AEL program.

The students joined WEG in 2021 through the International Institute of St. Louis (IISTL) — an immigrant and job placement service/information hub which connects refugees and immigrants to a variety of opportunities in the St. Louis region. The jobs range from entry-level to professional positions, within a variety of industries.

AEL Director Alice Whalen and Vansickle worked together to implement the ELA courses at WEG.

ECC Welding Students Earn AWS Certificates

October 17, 2022 | Campus News ECC Rolla

Fourteen East Central College welding students recently earned their American Welding Society (AWS) certificates for receiving high marks on unit assessments.

The college’s welding program uses online AWS learning platform for lecture and lab classes. The students who score a 90 percent or higher on their unit assessments earn a certificate. They can earn certificates for each of the unit assessments, which are Welding Safety, Oxy-Fuel Cutting, Plasma Cutting and Carbon Arc Cutting.

Listed below are the type of certificate, followed by the students who received them:

Safety in Welding — James Baxter, Holly Downey, Seth Fennessey, Justin Medlock, Brady Neely, Eli Radcliff, Zachary Regot and Cole Vance.

Oxy-Fuel Cutting — Sadie Miller and James Baxter.

Plasma Arc Cutting — Sadie Miller and Brady Neely.

Carbon Arc Cutting — James Baxter, Holly Downey, Seth Fennessey, Macey Hargrove, Justin Medlock, Sadie Miller, Brady Neely, Eli Radcliff, Zachary Regot, Erica Stockell and Cole Vance.

“These students have worked extremely hard to earn these certificates,” said Bobby Bland, welding program coordinator. “Most of our students have full-time jobs working 8-10 hours a day, and then come to class for 5 1/2 hours. They still show up every single evening, on time and with a smile, excited to learn.”

The students each recently completed the Welding I course as they work toward an ECC Certificate of Specialization.

“I cannot tell our community how much dedication, sacrifice, hard work and concentration these welding students have,” Bland added. “I would hire every single student that completes the welding program just for that reason alone.”

He further added that during the 16-week Fast Track Welding program, students experience rigorous training through lecture and real-world experience in the welding labs.

“Our students are ready for any task that comes their way and the unit certificates earned through AWS brings value to the students making them more marketable in the industry,” Bland commented.

For more information about the ECC welding program, visit www.eastcentral.edu/career-technical-education/welding/.