A recent survey was conducted among students at the Hobart Institute revealing some interesting “Facts & Figures” that we would like to share with you:

53% of our welding skill students are from Ohio.
14% - Indiana
6% - West Virginia
4% from each – California and Michigan
3% from each – Illinois and New York
13% - all other states (AR, CT, KY, LA, ME, OR, PA, VA)

53% said that a family member or friend introduced them to Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.  High school teachers or counselors recommended HIWT to 33% of the students.  14% found us on the Internet.  13% said their employers told them about us.  And 4% were lucky enough to find us through other advertising mediums.

The teen-agers “rule”!  31% of the HIWT students were 17 or 18 years old.  30% were 19-21 years old.  But don’t let that scare you away!  11% were between the ages of 40 and 49.  18% were 22 to 29 and another 9% were 30-39.  1% were over 50.

What were they doing when they decided to attend the Hobart Institute?

53% were attending school and 31% were employed.  Just 16% were unemployed at the time their decision was made.

44% of those participating in the survey indicated that they were already welding when they decided to improve their skills.  33% were working in construction and carpentry.  29% were farming; 27% were working in factories; 14% came from jobs in restaurants; and another 13% worked in a variety of places (retain, grocery, landscaping, etc.)  Over 60% worked more than one job.

Why welding?  61% felt there are good job opportunities in the industry.  53% liked the pay scale.  Another 34% had maintained a lifelong interest in welding.  And 9% said they just liked welding!  57% marked more than one choice.

It was unanimous!  100% indicated that coming to the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology was a good choice for them!  (And the survey did not require them to sign their names!)  90% indicated that the reputation of the Hobart Institute influenced their decision.  51% made their selection based on the quality of the training.  24% preferred the length of the programs.  6% appreciated the cost as compared to other schools.  And again, 71% marked more than one choice. 

35% considered other options before selecting HIWT.  Some of those were competitive welding schools and others were various careers. 

Many indicated very positive experiences during their training.  Some of these included good teachers, willingness of instructors to assist students, the goal of instructors to bring out the best in the students, and, of course, the opportunity to meet new people.  They didn’t really appreciate a drug search that was conducted by local law enforcement officials, but staff was reasonably pleased with the results and it brought to the forefront the point of zero tolerance of illegal substances on the school premises.  Students have learned that welding is not easy, but they can learn from their mistakes and do improve with practice.