By Moses Leos III

With a burst of heat, newly hired Lehman High welding teacher Joe Henderson let the sparks fly as he perfected a technique learned during a workshop at Hays High last week.

For Henderson and many other welding teachers across the area, the workshop, put on by Austin Community College, helps provide insight on new welding techniques in the industry.

Tim Strouse, welding professor at ACC, said the workshop has been put on since 2003, with the workshop being held at Hays for the last few years.

“What we do is better (teachers’) skills here, so they can take those skills back to their school and students can utilize those skills,” Strouse said.

Henderson said the workshop allows welding teachers to compare notes on what works and what doesn’t in their professions.

It also allows teachers to stay up to date on changes or updates in the industry.

Strouse said the technology of the welding industry is “changing so much.” Robotics are slowly becoming integrated into the field, while some machinery can be programmed via smartphones, Strouse said.

The workshop also allows teachers to talk with vendors, who show them teaching tools they can then pass off to their students

“This workshop has a bunch of different benefits,” Henderson said.

While technology in the welding industry is changing, the demand for welders continues to trend upward, Strouse said. 

Exposing students to the welding field is what Henderson, Lehman High welding teacher Brett Wheeler, along with Hays High welding teachers Brandon Henry and Rip Ravell, are working to accomplish through the district’s Career and Technical Education program.

Wheeler said CTE gives students an opportunity to be introduced to high demand trades “they may not be familiar with otherwise.” He added many students find what they learned in general education, such as trigonometry or geometry, has a real world application in welding.

“You never think of those skilled labor jobs as a source of high income,” Wheeler said. “Without those technology programs, students don’t think of that.”

Henderson said introducing students to trade programs in CTE provides “viable alternatives” to a four-year college.

“They end up with a whole lot less college debt and a high paying job to start with,” Henderson said.

But even as the field moves with technology, Henry and Ravell said hands-on instruction is imperative for students.

Ravell said students must burn at least “ten pounds of rods to be good or even close to be ready to go into the industry.” Some students can learn the craft in a few months, while some can take the entire school year, Henry said.

“We try to show them they’re improving. We praise them so they don’t give up,” Henry said. “It’s hard for some to grasp what they’re doing. But if they practice, they will get better.” 

While the district has a welding simulator, Henry said it doesn’t simulate the heat and the sparks that working hands-on offers.

“I prefer (students) to, and forgive the expression, ‘feel the heat,’” Strouse said. “They aren’t going to get it with these simulators. They need to put their hands on it and actually do this.”

The ability to see progress in their craft is what drives all four Hays CISD high school welding teachers forward.

“It makes you feel good and let’s you know what you do is valuable,” Henry said. “Knowing that you were able to teach them the basics and ground work and the advanced skills so they can be a productive member of society.”