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TECHNICAL
CLASSES AT HOBART INSTITUTE HAVE HISTORY OF SUCCESS
By Marty
Baker
The history of the Hobart Institute of
Welding Technology (HIWT) that began in 1930 has proven to be a
story of success in skill training… technical training… welding
training materials… and certification. But while skill
training began in 1930, it wasn’t until thirty years later that
Technical Training was established to include the development of
one and two-week classes that complement the skill programs.
Some of these first short workshops included Welding
Fundamentals for Supervisors and Engineers, Arc Welding
Inspection and Quality Control, Welding Equipment Trouble
Shooting and Repair, along with a summer workshop,
Welding for Artists. Soon, Practical Welding for
Supervisors, Welding Metallurgy, Fundamentals of Welding Design,
and Welding Instructor Training classes were added to
the list of offerings.
Technical workshops and seminars filled the
need of supervisory personnel to know more about welding and to
provide training for personnel involved with welding support
groups such as engineering, quality control, sales, and
management personnel. They also provide welding instructors
with the opportunity to interact with other instructors and
brush up on their own skills during a summer session. Unlike
the skill courses offered at the Hobart Institute, these classes
are not designed to teach participants to weld. The courses
provide either a generalized background or target specific areas
related to welding.
In 1993, Hobart Institute became the first
independent organization in the United States authorized by the
American Welding Society to
conduct certified welding inspector (CWI) examinations. Prior
to that time, AWS directly conducted all examinations. Charles
Fassinger, Director of Professional Services for AWS at that
time, made the announcement to Hobart Institute saying,
“Congratulations on being first in the nation – again.”
The Preparation for the AWS CWI/CWE Welding
Inspector/Educator Examination course is also approved
for veterans’ benefits for those who quality. Continuing
education units (CEUs) are granted for each technical course.
As the years passed and industry has
changed, some of the early classes were discontinued and others
were added to meet the demand. The curriculum for each course
receives continuous improvement as the needs of the participants
change. One example of this is the
Welding Instructor Course that began as a two-week
course and evolved to a one-week course that is more condensed
and meets the needs of the students with time-constraint
considerations. Word-of-mouth advertising has served the
Institute well. Participants who have taken one course,
frequently return at a later date to enroll in yet another.
Ron Craig, an instructor from
Ryerson University
Theatre School in Canada, who participated in the
Welding Instructor Course, commented, “The best
indication of whether a course is achieving the student’s
objectives occurs at the coffee breaks. During these informal
chat sessions, I listened to the students’ comments. The
consensus was that they were learning a great deal, and they all
felt that they would be better instructors after finishing the
course.”
Staff of instructors for the technical
program has remained constant throughout the years, and each of
the technical instructors is AWS certified welding
inspectors/educators. Two of the three instructors also
maintain American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Level
II certification.
The current course list includes the
Welding Instructor Course,
Fundamentals of Visual Inspection,
Welding for the Non-welder,
Arc Welding Inspection and Quality Control,
Weldability of Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals,
Liquid Penetrant and Magnetic Particle Inspection,
Preparation for AWS CWI/CWE Inspector/Educator Examination,
and
Preparation for Recertification of CWI. More
information about these courses may be found on the Hobart
Institute’s web site at
http://www.welding.org.
Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, dedicated to welding
training and education excellence, is celebrating its 75th
anniversary through a series of articles related to the history
of welding education.
The Hobart Institute is a not-for-profit educational
facility located at
400 Trade Square East, Troy, OH
45373. 1-800-332-9448.
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