16 Welding Students From Across The Country, Compete In The AWS Welding Pretrials

Sixteen (16) welding students from across the country, each one a SkillsUSA-VICA state gold metal champion, will compete in the American Welding Society's (AWS) Welding Pretrials competition. The six (6) winners of the AWS Welding Pretrials will go on to compete at the AWS US Open Weld Trials, to be held April 8-10, 2003 in conjunction with the AWS Welding Show in Detroit, Michigan. The winner of the competition in Detroit will go on to represent the United States at the World Skills Competition, to be held in St. Gallen, Switzerland in June, 2003.

The AWS Welding Pretrials consists of a series of projects that the students will complete at their local school under the supervision of their welding instructor. Each set of test plates is shipped to central evaluation centers to be reviewed by judges selected from the AWS Skills Competition Committee. At the end of 2002, only six of those students will be chosen to compete at the AWS U.S. Open Weld Trials in Detroit.

The USA representative to the World Skills Competition will receive a $40,000, four-year scholarship through the AWS Foundation and sponsored by Miller Electric Mfg. Co., up to $1,000.00 in AWS publications, a four-year AWS membership and AWS Certification, for which he qualifies at the trials. Runners-up at the U.S. Open Weld Trials will be awarded a $1,000.00 scholarship for books, tuition or lab fees, a one-year complimentary AWS membership and AWS Certification.

The American Welding Society underwrites the participating students travel and lodging expenses to both the AWS US Open Weld Trials in Detroit, as well as the World Skills Competition in Switzerland.

The World Skills competition is sponsored by the International Youth Skills Organization headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. For additional information on the AWS Welding Pretrials contact Ed Bohnart, Chairman of the AWS Skills Competition Committee at (920) 582-0477 or Chris Pollock, Secretary to the Skills Competition Committee at (800) 443-9353, extension 219.

The following list contains the names of competitors, instructors and schools that will be competing in the AWS Welding Pretrials. These student welders have already competed at the 2001 or 2002 SkillsUSA-VICA National Championships.