Mica Mountain High School's welding program recently hosted the Blue Collar Tour, an initiative by the Western Welding Academy aimed at inspiring students to pursue careers in the trades.
The tour, spanning 60 days and visiting 31 high schools nationwide, offers hands-on welding demonstrations and insights into blue-collar professions.
"We're gonna hit 31 high schools in 60 days, teaching the kids the importance of the trades and why it's the backbone of our nation," said Quacy Wilson, Director of Student Selection at Western Welding Academy.
Students like seniors Antonio Tapia and Taryn Sutterley are already seeing the benefits of the program.
"I've actually gotten a couple offers so far from jobs," Tapia shared. Sutterley added, "I myself am gonna go to college for welding engineering."
The demand for skilled welders is significant. According to the American Welding Society, the U.S. faced a shortage of 300,000 welders last year.
Mica Mountain's welding instructor, Kyle Bulawa, emphasized, "Our country's been suffering from the lack of skilled tradesmen over the last thirty or forty years."
This shortage translates into lucrative opportunities for those entering the field.
"It's not unheard of for welders to make upwards of 100 to 200 thousand dollars a year," Bulawa noted.
Local companies are taking notice.
Eric Salomon of CAID Industries, which is changing its name to Samuel Advanced Fabrication, praised the talent coming out of the school.
"This program here is one that we heavily focus on because the program here is very high level," he said.
The success and popularity of Mica Mountain's welding program have prompted considerations for expansion.
As more students recognize the value of trade skills, programs like these play a crucial role in addressing workforce shortages and providing viable career paths.
The Blue Collar Tour will make stops next in California before making its way back to Wyoming where the Western Welding Academy, the entity behind the tour, is based.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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