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EDUCATION
EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES
By Marty Baker
The primary goal of the Mechanical
Engineering Technology / Welding Technology program at Edison
Community College in Piqua, Ohio, according to Instructor
Jim Hannahs, is to produce welding technicians / technologists.
“Graduates from this program are
eligible to fill a variety of positions in the workplace
including product design, testing, or supervision, sales and
customer support, application technicians, industrial
instructors, and, in some cases, are able to assume basic
engineering positions,” says Jim.
“When they leave Edison, they understand codes, know
how to program robots, and have an excellent technical welding
background.”
At the Hobart Institute, students
learn the strong, hands-on skills that are necessary for them to
understand the technical side of welding being offered at
Edison, where the state-of-the-art equipment is primarily used
for experiments and capstone projects.
Students’ comments continually reflect appreciation for
the professionalism of the staff in both facilities.
Bryce Obaugh is on track to
graduate from the Edison program in May 2004.
Bryce began taking the nine-month Combination
Structural and Pipe Welding Program at the Hobart
Institute in October 2001 following graduation from William Byrd
High School in Vinton, Virginia.
“My uncle influenced me to learn
how to weld,” says Bryce.
“I find welding fascinating because a lot of time and
thought goes into it. It
is not just zapping metal together.”
Bryce continues, “I decided to
further my education at Edison so that I would not need to spend
my whole life under a shield.
I would like to pursue a job as a technician in automated
welding or possibly in quality control.”
Just one example of an employer
who utilizes the skills of an applications / welding technician
is Motoman in West
Carrollton, Ohio.
“The Application Technicians,”
explains Greg Suiter, Manager of the Motoman Application
Technician Team, “in accordance with the system’s Project
Specification and Project Proposal, determine
the best program structure for the system. The customer's parts
are then programmed and welding parameters developed to meet the
contractual requirements of the job for a customer run off at
Motoman. The system is then shipped to the field to be supported
by the Application Technician during installation and for a run
off at the customer's facility. The Application Technician's are
required to interface with our customers, troubleshoot issues
during installation/start-up and looked to as the expert for the
process.”
“Someone with a good welding background, electrical troubleshooting
skills, an understanding of Programmable Logic Computers (PLC
Logic), good people skills, a positive attitude and a desire to
travel is a must for this job,” Greg continues.
“In addition to all of the
educational benefits of pursuing the technology path, there are
economical benefits as well,” explains Hannahs.
“It is very cost-effective from a tuition perspective.
And graduates may land jobs directly out of school
beginning in the $30,000 to $35,000 salary range.
That is excellent for someone in their early 20’s.”
Jerrold Hobler of St. Marys, Ohio,
pursued welding skill training in 1987 at HIWT and later took
the Preparation
for the AWS Certified Welding Inspector/Educator Examination
and the AWS-CWI exam at Hobart Institute. After
being employed a number of years, Jerrold found himself one of a
large number of displaced workers.
“I read about the Edison
opportunity in The World
of Welding and decided to pursue it,” Jerrold says.
“This is my opportunity to further my education and
possibly take the Weld Technologist exam.”
Jerrold is scheduled to graduate from Edison this spring.
Steve Heil of Medway, Ohio, is
another student planning to graduate in May from the Edison
program. While he
hopes to land an immediate job to pay for his education, Steve
also has visions of a greater picture.
“I would like to go on to Ohio
State University for a bachelors degree in welding
engineering,” says Steve.
The two-year program at Edison is
technology-based and algebra-based.
Students participate in courses in English Composition,
Technical Writing, and Effective Communication, along with
AutoCAD, Trigonometry, and a social/behavioral science elective
in addition to the industrial courses.
An articulation agreement between Hobart Institute of
Welding Technology and Edison Community College allows students
credit for basic shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc
welding, gas tungsten arc welding, and certified welding
inspection courses and the AWS-CWI examination taken at HIWT.
“Because Ferris
State College in Big Rapids, Michigan, is also a
technology-based program,” says Jim Hannahs, “it may be
easier for our students to pursue a welding engineering degree
there. But Ohio
State University also has an excellent, calculus-based, welding
engineering program. At
Ohio State, students will need to obtain courses in the higher
level calculus that they have not received at Edison.”
“Any time one can expand their
capabilities through education it opens new doors for them in
the workplace,” says Ron
Scott, Vice President at Hobart Institute. “Our job is to assist students in making those transitions.
It becomes a winning situation for everyone involved.”
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