Page 5 - Spring 2014 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

BIRTH OF A CARRIER

(Continued from page 4)

Speaking with many of the
supervisors at the shipyard (one of
whom is my son), it has become
apparent that the welders trained
at Hobart Institute of Welding
Technology (HIWT) are in high
demand. They have a solid foundation
in weld symbols, understand the
importance of a weld procedure,
and are multi-process welders with
a solid skill set. The other part that
the supervisors are looking for is
those who have attended an AWS®
welding program in high school and
then continued their education at
HIWT.

Above right: On board the USS Gerald
Ford CNV78 for the christening
ceremonies of the new ship.

DO YOUR OWN TESTING
Many of these become the lead men for their supervisors
or work on critical welds such as the pressure hull of our
submarines. There is another employee that is also highly wBend Testers wBend Specimen Cutters
sought after, one who has a solid foundation from high school wTest Materials (Coupons)
welding, and/or attended HIWT with an excellent report, wTensile Testers
one who has the scores to enter into their apprenticeship
program. These enter into a 5-year apprenticeship, rotate thru •
the various welding disciplines, and upon graduation will • Train welders
enter into supervision or direct to the work force in the yard. • Qualify welders
Without high school shops providing HIWT with students that • Qualify procedures
Meet ASME, AWS,
have a solid foundation, and HIWT training those students BT1D API, MIL codes TT1
into multi-process welders with advanced level of training,
our skilled workforce will soon be depleted.

How do we make sure we have the employees for the future
that our nation will require? My suggestion would be for all BSC-1PLT
high school programs to follow the AWS® guidelines for Home of
an entry level welder and then establish a relationship with Visit our website the
“Super
a postsecondary training facility like HIWT. The birth of an for all sizes and Coupon”
aircraft carrier is much more than just slapping some steel models available.
together. It takes years of training, years of planning and
preparation…and for America’s welding workforce, training Helping industry meet
welding codes and
programs that begin early on and continue with AWS® standards for 36 years!
guidelines and standards. Working together we can keep BT1C TT2
America strong…one bead at a time.

www.fischerengr.com - (937)754-1750

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