Page 5 - HIWT Spring 2013 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

MEETING THE GROWING MANpOWER
NEEDS

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than 5,000 young people who were interested in welding. It National Laboratory doing research on the corrosion of
has since been featured at two FABTECH shows in the U.S., metals and later researched joining of stainless steels,
FABTECH Canada, several state fairs, the Indianapolis 500 refractory metals, and ceramics. Twenty-five years
auto race, and other events focused on welding. later, she earned her M.S. degree while working for
ABB Combustion Engineering (now Alstrom) developing
IMAGE OF WElDING AWARDS welding electrodes, fluxes, and flux-cored wires for use
in building power plant components. Nancy currently has
Each year, AWS issues several prestigious awards to those a welding engineering consulting firm. She has received
who have worked especially hard to help improve the public several industry awards, authored over 35 technical
perception of welding. Presented at the annual FABTECH publications and holds three patents.
show, the awards honor individuals, companies and AWS
Sections that have shown outstanding achievement in “There is a dire shortage of skilled workers in the welding
promoting welding careers and creating a positive image for industry and I’m looking forward to focusing on changing
the profession. that in 2013,” said Nancy. “My goal as president this year
is to celebrate women in welding and help fill the need
A NEW bSA MERIT bADGE: WElDING for properly skilled and educated welding professionals.”

AWS has worked with the Boy Scouts of America to establish
a Welding Merit Badge, launched in 2012. Boy scouts can
earn the badge by studying welding techniques and then
completing a welding project. AWS volunteers actively work
with the scouts to train those seeking the badge.

SOCIAl MEDIA

AWS has recently publicized welding careers by becoming
actively involved in Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
The Society has hired an outside consultant to advise on social
media, and a permanent staff expert on social media has been
hired.

American Welding Society will continue to place emphasis on
bringing the need for welders to the media forefront. Anyone,
especially those involved in welding, can share in this effort
and spread the word in one’s own communities.

AbOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy C. Cole, a longtime veteran of the welding industry,
was named as the 2013 president and chair of the board
of the American Welding Society. Cole was one of the
first women to become active in AWS and served three
terms as vice president before being elected president.

Nancy was the first female to graduate with a B.S.
degree in metallurgical engineering from the University
of Tennessee. She began her career at Oak Ridge

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