BERMUDA FACILITY DEDICATED

A new welding training facility was dedicated recently in Bermuda.  Island native Joseph Francis had attended the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in the summer of 2000 and was so impressed that he returned to his country and began efforts to convince Mr. Michael Stowe, Executive Officer of the National Training Board of Bermuda, to bring Hobart Institute to their country.

A number of factors entered into the picture. The country of Bermuda is just 21-miles long and is located in the Atlantic Ocean just 640 nautical miles from Norfolk, Virginia.  While it maintains a British and Caribbean flavor, the island and its people have embraced North American habits as they enter the 21^st century.  Bermuda has a high standard of living fueled by North American and European visitors.  Businessmen in Bermuda shorts rub elbows with construction workers as public and private sector expansion and renovation change the character of the cities at a rapid pace.  Despite economic progress in the cities and surrounding parishes, the workforce needed for construction projects fell short of desired goals.  It was expensive to send students from Bermuda to Ohio for training, especially when some of them would choose to remain in the U.S. and work.  Likewise it was expensive to bring certified U.S. welders to Bermuda to complete construction projects.  While certification standards were initially virtually non-existent, the Board of Labor in Bermuda was convinced this needed to change with the advent of increased industrialization within the country.  Their desire is to adopt American Welding Society standards.

Joseph Francis’ timing couldn’t have been better and the logical choice was the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.  Accredited by the American Welding Society to perform qualification of welders, HIWT is able to provide both the training and the certification required by Bermuda.  Convinced that Joseph had a sound idea, Michael Stowe influenced the National Training Board to establish a joint partnership with Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.  Through the cooperation of Mr. and Mrs. Van Swan of Swandell Welding and Steel Erection Ltd. a location was provided and the National Training Board Swandell Limited Training Center became a reality at the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on November 19, 2002.  The Center is now a joint partnership with Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, the National Training Board of Bermuda, and the Swan family.  Seven welding booths within the facility are equipped with new welders provided by Miller Electric Manufacturing Company.

Vincent Smith and Joseph Francis, instructors at the center, are receiving further training and certification at the Hobart Institute in Troy, Ohio.  Their goal is to take what they have learned back to the island country and pass the knowledge along to others.  HIWT will continue to monitor the program to assure quality and excellence.