by André Odermatt

A statement from the AWS Foundation, Inc. reads:

“Every year, more then 25,000 students begin an education that could lead to a successful career in welding. As a welder. As an engineer. As a scientist. As a teacher. Or one of hundreds of other rewarding professions in welding. The problem is, we need twice as many.”

What is happening today in our country and probably around the world is depicted in the welder supply and demand graph on this page. The slope of the welder supply curve (downward to the right) indicates the trend of a lower number of welders available over time. On the other hand, the slope of the welder demand curve (upward to the right) tells us that the need for welders is increasing. This model is probably exaggerating the situation but I wanted to illustrate the potential of an increasing gap over time between supply and demand of welders. When more people want something and the available quantity stays the same or even decreases, prices increase.  One example we can all relate to is the price of gasoline.  In our case, it is the compensation for welders that is increasing. We see this trend with job postings at our web site and learn it from companies who increasingly hold career days at HIWT.

Ray Connoly, a welder reporting in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says, “We are doing a blue-collar job but making white-collar money.” According to the same article, Bender Shipbuilding in Mobile, AL pays $ 40,000 – 60,000 for welders but finds itself going to Mexico in search of candidates.

The shortage of skilled welders is an increasingly serious problem for our economy and much has been written about it, even in the national press. This article highlights a trend that does not help to close the gap; to the contrary, it helps to increase the gap.

The state of Connecticut announced in 2003 that it had plans to close several vocational schools that teach welding. It is our understanding that similar actions have taken place in Arizona, Kansas and California and, most recently, we learned that the Metropolitan School District in Indianapolis, IN is considering to close their welding programs. In some cases, we know that the reason for closing is financial. After all, it is expensive to teach welding and schools see the need to move financial resources to academic programs.

There seems to be a serious mismatch between what industry needs and what our school system provides in the area of skilled welders.  School districts are slow to realize that if they do not support industry, companies will relocate to where they can find employees, taking their tax dollars with them and increasing the financial burden on school districts. 

Statistics show that nine out of ten students who graduate from Hobart Institute of Welding Technology get a job and become responsible citizens, wage earners and taxpayers. Only seven out of ten students graduate from high school and only between four and six out of ten students graduate from a college or a university.

Not every young person is born for “higher” education. For our economy to properly function, it also needs skilled labor. If our schools do not provide the type of training our manufacturing industry needs, and skilled welders cannot be found in the U.S., companies are forced to “outsource” or go “offshore” to find workers in another country. We urge school boards to find ways to maintain welder programs.