The American Welding Society (AWS) Local District 10 (www.aws.org/sections/districts/ district10.html) has proposed establishing a welding advisory council that would be aimed at enhancing welding education and student recruitment.

The proposal is the district's response to the shortage of skilled welders that continues to strain businesses across the nation, and would combine the efforts of the AWS Local District 10 with area businesses, unions, and high school educators. AWS District 10 covers parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, including Cleveland, Youngstown, and Canton, and Erie and Franklin, Pa.

The welding advisory council would respond directly to local welding-related issues, and would help to enhance and generate new welding programs in its area of coverage, and would help to connect local businesses and unions with educators and administrators to combat welder shortages and increase recruitment levels while reinforcing welding standards and certification. The Council also would help to implement and provide support to advisory committees within high school and vocational school welding programs, which typically include an AWS section member, welding instructor, administrator, and representatives from local manufacturing businesses and trade unions.

"There is a major gap in communication between our local high school level welding schools and businesses," Richard Harris, AWS District 10 director, said. "Our welding schools thrive from donations received from area businesses, which may supply anything from metals and other materials to welding machinery and attire. These types of donations increase the vitality of our welding educational programs, resulting in a cleaner and more organized classroom setting and higher quality graduates." However, Harris said a lack of funding and materials often causes a welding teacher to be forced to shut down a program or to teach limited skills, and that leads to fewer quality welders who would otherwise be available for hire. As a result, businesses become strapped for welding talent.

The proposed welding advisory council would be designed to strengthen the partnership between businesses and schools to keep the welding programs thriving.

With estimates that nearly half of the skilled welders available today are nearing retirement, the recruitment of younger people into the welding industry has become an important issue. The AWS has estimated that there will be a shortage of more than 200,000 skilled welders by 2010 in the United States, and U.S. Department of Labor reports that the number of welders employed in the U.S. declined about 10 percent to 576,000 in 2005 — the last full year for which data is available — from 594,000 in 2000.

"One of the welding industry's biggest challenges is attracting young talent, which is attributable in large part to its tarnished image," said Dennis Klingman, AWS Education Committee chairman. "Many people still associate welding with black and white photos of tired welders covered in scuffmarks and dressed in soiled clothing. But the welding industry has undergone dramatic changes with the advancement of technology, and is no longer confined to the dark and dirty setting reminiscent of last century's industrial era. Despite this, the image problem continues to exist and parents, instructors and counselors have been hesitant to introduce students to the industry.

"The fact is welding can lead to a multitude of lucrative and exciting career paths, including inspection, engineering or sales. It is our hope that by forming this council, we may be able to shift current mindsets by opening the communication between businesses, parents and instructors," Klingman added.