Page 16 - HIWT World of Welding Spring-Summer 2021

The Spotlight is on You

By: Melinda Gladish
Bob Fisher, CWI/CWE/CWS, Technical Instructor, Mark Hasting
Employed at HIWT for 21 years Employed at HIWT for 12 years

Bob Fisher has been a fixture at HIWT for 21 years. He is a Mark Hasting has been with HIWT for 12 years and is an unsung
Skill Education Welding Instructor as well as a safety and hero for our students, and they don’t even know it. Mark is the
security team member. Bob has taught several classes here Certification Lab/X-Ray Technician here at the school and is the
®
but most recently teaches the Basic and Advanced Blueprint person that processes and reads the students’ welds for AWS
courses. This means he sees the students when they first QC-7 Certification. In addition to the students’ welds, he does a
start and right when they are getting ready to graduate. tremendous amount of work for businesses also. Mark worked in
Prior to coming to HIWT, Bob worked in Research and maintenance, supply store and the Certification Lab at HIWT before
Development for Hobart Brothers Filler Metal. his accepting his current role.
Bob has a passion for welding, specifically welding education Prior to coming to HIWT, Mark worked in maintenance and machine
and says training people and passing on his welding operations.
knowledge is what he likes best about his position. Being Mark likes working in education because he believes it helps give
able to educate students right from the beginning gives Bob students a path to a bright, successful future. “Certification is a
a change to lay that baseline foundation to get them started large part of a welder’s success. Testing, processing, and results
in the welding field. He then gets to build on that after they is a vital key to resume building, adding employer confidence in
complete the hands-on welding courses in the Advanced the hiring process,” stated Hasting. In his current role, he likes the
Blueprint course. He said it is rewarding to be able to know different work and utilization of many different skills throughout his
he has had a hand in their welding education and the skills day, allowing him to change course as needed and creating a fast-
they will utilize in the field. moving pace.
As a hands-on guy, Bob says that learning how to fully Looking back over his career to this point, if he could tell himself
understand how alloys of metal can be used, and how something when he first made the decision to get into the skilled
science of alloy steels can be connected together helped him trades, he says he would say “Life is an incredible journey. Make
when getting into the hands-on part of welding education. wise judgements, help others, and be honest and true to yourself
He says the welding field provides a great paycheck for those along the way.”
starting out in the field and that learning to weld at HIWT
helps provide the needed education and enhances their skills. When he started in his career, working in education was not even
being considered but he is glad his career led him here. Mark
In his spare time, Bob enjoys spending time with his family, states “There are so many avenues in the welding industry from
fishing and rooting on the Ohio State Buckeyes. the processes to material types to variations of inside and outside
work. Welding can be artistic or industrial and in any imaginable

2021 SPRING/SUMMER ISSUE - 16 - www.welding.org
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