Students can begin exploring a welding career in sixth grade through a Virtual Welding program and eventually can earn 21 credit hours transferrable to Ivy Tech Community College’s Welding program.

They also can earn industry certifications in STICK, TIG, and MIG Welding, in addition to 1,000 hours of on-the-job training and related technical instruction.

About 40 students at Garrett High School will be participating in the Welding SEAL program in the upcoming school year.

Nucor Building Systems (NBS), a designer and manufacturer of custom-engineered metal building systems, and the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 166 Apprenticeship Program are a few of the program’s partners.

NBS donated materials for students to construct their workstations and looks forward to further building its relationship with Garrett’s Welding program, said Philip Reinoehl, Web Technician at NBS Indiana. Nucor is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has a plant in Waterloo, Indiana, north of Fort Wayne.

“We know that in the trade industry there are less and less skilled workers who qualify for careers like welding,” Reinoehl said. “By partnering with Garrett High, we want to show students who are interested in trades and vocational programs that there are great jobs out there.”

For the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 166 Apprenticeship Program, its decision to partner with Garrett High School has been one of the best decisions it has made over the past few years, said Christopher Brown, Director of Training for the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 166.

“The addition of the Welding Program will add yet another opportunity for the students at Garrett High School,” Brown said. “Having community partners such as Garrett High School helps our industry supply the highly skilled, professional workforce northeast Indiana desperately needs, while at the same time preparing high school students for high-paying local jobs that need to be filled.”

The SEAL certification is among a variety of tools that the OWBLA has in its toolbox to help skill-up the state’s workforce.

“The Welding SEAL at Garrett High School demonstrates a commitment on behalf of school leadership, staff, community partners and employers to provide students with not only an outstanding technical education in welding, but also opportunities to enrich learning through work-based learning and on-the-job training,” said Matthew Presley, a Regional Director for OWBLA. “This Welding SEAL will prepare students for success, sharpen employability skills and launch careers in a high-demand, high-wage field.”

DWD projects Indiana employers will need to fill 1 million additional jobs in the next 10 years, half of which will not require a four-year college degree, but some type of certification or credential beyond a high school diploma.

The OWBLA program is part of Gov. Holcomb’s NextLevel Jobs initiative.