You may recall that last year, the media center and a few classrooms within the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Troy, Ohio were remodeled.  Renovation work continues to upgrade the facility that has enhanced other areas.

BUSINESS OFFICE

The first stop for any visitors to the Hobart Institute is the business office that includes a reception area, admissions, and financial aid, along with support staff.  Creating a bright, welcoming atmosphere for visitors through the use of open space and glass was the goal as this area was created.

“Everything we did, when planning the new office lay-out, was focused towards our visitors, students, and other customers,” says André Odermatt, President of HIWT.  “We now have ample room for two or more people at the reception desk to welcome parents and potential students virtually without waiting.”

The individual offices all have windows toward the reception area to allow staff to quickly react to visitors.  A large area is dedicated toward financial aid activities.  To better serve the increasing number of visitors, two conference rooms have been created for individual and personal discussions by our staff with parents and prospective or current students.

STUDENT LOUNGE

A newly remodeled student lounge / canteen area gives the students a fresh, clean location to bring their lunch to school or enjoy refreshments from vending machines in air-conditioned comfort.  The lounge conveniently adjoins the training area, so students may access it on short breaks as well as during the lunch hour. 

 We decorated the student lounge with a number of full-color macro weld cross sections to show different weld penetration patterns.  The objective is to create curiosity in students who may wish to learn more about welding.    

WELD TEST LAB

Adjacent to the framed macros in the student lounge is a large window to view the new radiographic and metallographic laboratory.  Various types of nondestructive testing are conducted on welds of the students and those taking certification tests at the Hobart Institute.  This location, that incorporates an X-ray unit,  darkroom for film development, and equipment for metallography, along with a fume hood, was selected to generate interest from some students who may wish to pursue welding technology beyond the basic skill levels and become welding technicians and engineers.   This also streamlines processing of the weld tests by placing the lab within a few short steps from the training area.  Formerly, this area was located in other areas of the building and on the basement level that required many extra trips up and down steps with the metal coupons for testing.  This relocation adds convenience for students and efficiency for staff.  

CLASSROOMS FOR SPECIALIZED TRAINING

Due to the increasing demand for HIWT’s specialized training, two new classrooms were created specifically dedicated to this activity.  Hobart Institute offers specialized training programs for tool steel welding, sanitation piping for the food industry, pipe and tubing for chemical plants, and window/mirror pipe welding for power plants, aircraft industry, and others.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT STUDIO

Curriculum development at the Hobart Institute has been streamlined by establishing an in-house studio that allows for controlled taping of new or revised curriculum materials. 

Using the very latest technology, John Timmers, HIWT Developer of Curriculum Materials, has been working with Ray Monell of Monell Communications, to update the programs for Shielded Metal Arc Welding Advanced 1 (Structural) and Advanced 2 (Pre-Pipe), that are expected to be released in early 2007.  

John says, “Having an in-house studio gives us the ability to produce programs on DVD with unsurpassed detail and clarity.  We can actually show you how to read the puddle.”

Welding instructor Steven Randles is working under the hood to achieve the near-perfect welds that appear in the curriculum materials.  These training materials with new arc shots will be available on DVD, along with the complete course materials to exceed the expectations of welding instructors everywhere.

The Institute is also upgrading current skill and technical classrooms, equipping them with DVD technology and the latest in training materials.  For a tour of the “NEW Hobart Institute of Welding Technology,” call Bob Fisher at 1-800-332-9448, ext. 5051 (937-332-5051) or visit our web site for the NEW virtual tour at http://www.welding.org