Metal Fabrication

About the Program

As long as products are constructed of metal, welding will continue to play a major role in U.S. business and industry. Forge, resistance and fusion welding techniques are all taught in the Welding Trades program at the Coshocton County Career Center. Students use a variety of materials, welding both plate and pipe in many positions.

Primary instruction includes welding safety, principles of metallurgy, shielded metal arc welding, plasma and flame cutting, gas metal arc welding, oxyfuel welding and cutting, oxyacetylene welding and gas tungsten arc welding.

Related instruction includes codes and standards, weld inspecting and the certification process.

Students spend up to two hours per day in lab, practicing welds and making repairs to items manufactured of metal. They also go out into the community to assist with projects that require the construction or repair of metal items.

Length of Program: 2 Years

Career Pathways: Construction, Automotive Body/Service, Metal Fabrication/Manufacturing, Industrial Maintenance

Early Placement

If you have maintained an acceptable GPA and attendance record during your junior year, you may qualify for an early-placement work option during your senior year.

Placed in a job through this program, you will have the chance to practice the skills you have learned during your first year of study. Depending on your ability and interest, you might work at a manufacturing plant or on a construction site, working as an assistant to a welding technician. This work experience will compose a large part of your final lab grade. Not only will you receive program credit, but you will also have the opportunity to build employability skills, and garner trust and a positive work reference from your employer.

Further Education

Some graduates of the Metal Fabrication two year program continue their welding education at industrial trade colleges or welding schools, earning further AWS certifications. Typically, the more certifications a welder has, the more employable he/she becomes.

Many program completers decide to enroll in the renowned Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, located in Troy, Ohio. Established in 1930, Hobart is the largest educational institute in the U.S., dedicated to welding and metallurgy training of welding operators and technicians. Hobart also offers the Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) exam. Once passed, you could become a welding inspector – one of the highest-paid employees in the industry.

Whatever you decide to do once you complete the program, you will find that the time you invested in the Metal Fabrication program at the Coshocton County Career Center was time well-spent.

Associations

As a student in the program, you will also have the chance to join and participate in The American Welding Society (AWS). This involvement will give you an opportunity to improve your leadership and interpersonal skills and to compete in local, regional, state and national skills contests.

Alumni Update

"When I came to the Career Center, I finally found a place where I could enjoy coming to school each day.  Everyday, I couldn't wait to do what I loved doing.  My two teachers in the Metal Fab program were the ones who really helped me set my career path in stone, and I appreciated their guidance."

- Andrew Lee Arthurs,  Program Completer, Fabrication Technician, Air-Evac Life Team, West Plains, Missouri

"I pretty much learned everything that I needed to get started in the welding field during my senior year at the Career Center. What I learned I was then able to perfect once I got out on the job.”

- Richard Webb, Program Completer, Welding Foreman, Marlite Corporation, New Philadelphia, Ohio

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