If you’ve spent time in the Butte College cafeteria, you’ve probably taken notice of the number of students walking around wearing matching leather outfits and caps on their heads.
Students who have not enlisted in CTE (Career Technical Education) programs are most likely unaware of who these people are or what they’re doing here. These are Butte College’s very own welders.
People from various ages and backgrounds, wishing to pursue welding as a full-time career, learning how to maintain things on their own, or just looking for fun, travel from far and wide to attend the Welding Program here at Butte. They come to experience the great instruction and field experience we have to offer.
Sarah Moore, a current student pursuing the welding program, shared her experience with teachers and other students in the program, “the teachers make difficult objectives feel more attainable and foster a healthy learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and making friends.”
Adding, “the program is not solely geared towards young students with the intent to pursue welding full time and is inviting to people who wish to weld of all skill levels, genders, ages and goals.”
If one wishes to pursue a career in the welding industry, there are various paths available, depending on their goals.
The welding program is made up of two prerequisite classes, Weld 20 and Weld 21, which are to be taken before being given the opportunity to apply to the full program itself. Choosing this education path is a serious time, energy and financial commitment. Between the prerequisites and the program itself, over 1,930 hours are required for completion, with an average cost of $5,200-$6,200 per student.
The program is designed to produce qualified personnel for certified welding jobs along with acclimating students to a 40-hour school week to get them used to what would be expected of them while in this line of work. Throughout the program students learn a variety of different welding techniques with the goal of helping them find the area of work and type of welding they’d like to specialize in.
In 2015, Butte College’s Welding Program was recognized nationwide and statewide as a premiere technical education program. It was among nine programs recognized nationally as “Excellence in Action” award winners, representing the best Career Technical Education (CTE) has to offer. The chair of the Welding Program, Don Robinson, was in Washington D.C to collect this award and shared “Butte College is a leader in articulation agreements in the region, with the greatest concentration within welding programs.” Adding “This pathway provides a pipeline of high-skilled students who meet the demands of the labor market.”
If you wish to learn more about the welding program and all it has to offer, you can find more information at Butte.edu/welding.
