TROY, OH -- March 8, 2004 -- “We are absolutely desperate for
welders across the country,” was the strong message conveyed by
Sean Burke, keynote speaker, to 200 students representing seven
vocational schools and American
Welding Society members gathered at the AWS Dayton Section
Student Night on March 8. Burke is the Director of Training for
Boilermakers Local 374, Hammond, Indiana. He addressed the
details of the four-year apprenticeship provided by the
Boilermakers Union and noted that continuing education is
extremely important.
“Hobart [Institute] offers quality education that brings added
value to the apprenticeship program,” Sean stated. Earlier in
the day, he had met with HIWT students to explain the benefits
offered by the Boilermakers and to explain the work conducted by
their members. Burke also noted that the pay for Journeymen
begins at $20.71/hour and ranges to a high of $29.99/hour.
Additional fringe benefits are equal to $12.00/hour. The
starting salary for an apprentice is 70% of the Journeyman’s
rate, plus full benefits.
Hobart Institute hosted the annual Student Night in Troy, Ohio,
and Christopher Anderson, Chair of the
Dayton Section,
emceed the event. Chris took time to explain the advantages of
AWS membership and the scholarship program to the students. He
then introduced Zane Michael, Director of Product Development
for Motoman, Inc., a
leader in the robotic industry. Zane started his career in
welding at the Hobart Institute. Today, he has earned an
Associate degree in Mechanical Engineering, B.S. in Electrical
Engineering and is nearing completion of a master’s degree.
Included in his position at Motoman is the responsibility to
recruit future employees. Zane relayed the value of “Attitude,”
“Performance,” “Experience,” and “Education” to those looking
toward a career in welding and emphasized that the sky is the
limit when it comes to opportunities available to young
welders.
Terry Brown, Admissions Representative, spoke briefly about
Hobart Institute and provided tours of the facility to
interested groups following the program. Numerous door prizes,
including two welders, two auto-darkening helmets, and two
one-week robot programming training sessions, were provided by
local welding distributors and area industries and were well
received by those in attendance. Hobart Institute’s
Steve Houston, organizer of the event, stated that he was
pleased with the attendance. “Each year it gains momentum and
continues to grow.”
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