Welding Advisory Meeting Minutes

Nov. 19, 2020, 4 p.m.

Meeting Place

Zoom

Chair

Nancy Sweet

Attendees

Members in Attendance

Nancy Sweet, Aiden Tierney, Josh Collins, Andy Fuchs, Brian Davis, Larry Hopper, Thomas Smith, Gerald Massey, Gina Brackhouse

Members Absent

NA

Guests

Diane Murphy

Agenda

  1. Introduction
  2. Discussion of local industry and employment trends and desired education and/or experience needed for placement and career success. Identify knowledge, skills, behaviors needed by program graduates.
  3. Discussion of Work-Based Learning Opportunities and Apprenticeships Model (Josh/Group)

Minutes

1.

Introduction of everyone and purpose of PAC. Representatives from LLCC, Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, Lincoln Electric, Land of Lincoln Workforce Alliance, Work Saver, Bunn, Air Gas, and Precision Tank.

2.

Local Industry and Employment Trends

  • Questions: 1. How strong is occupational demands? 2. What positions do you hire the most frequently? How many of those positions will be hired over the next 6-12 months?  4. What does post Covid look like?
    • Busier now than they ever have been and has more staff employed than ever before.  They have 20 welders currently employed.
    • Could use some stainless-steel welders and usually needs sheet welders.
    • Has 1 TIG welder and a couple guys doing repairs. Might be able to come up with a piece of resistance welding equipment and development.
    • Covid has kept a few projects on hold but not had a super impact. Hoping things will pick back up in spring. They took a small class of 7 pipefitter apprentices.
  • Question: What do career salaries look like and what are some perks to welding careers?
    • Salaries not stated.
    • Welding is not just a job, it's a career and part of the trades with many opportunities. Traveling welders on a crew.
  • Question: What training certificates can LLCC provide for students that would benefit employers.
    • Don’t need certificates, just someone with the ability to learn.  A lot of people don’t have the ability to pass the test to go right into the program, so they have to start out as an apprentice and get their training on the job.
    • Looking for well-rounded people who want to do more than just weld.  Need people to work on pipes.  Want people who know how to read blueprints and who just care about their job.  Seeing that welding operators don’t have the ability to read blueprints and put things together.  Need people with robotic skills.  Someone with welding knowledge can be trained in 2 weeks, so they know the software side and understand it.
  • Questions: 1. Does anyone have any past LLCC students and how they compare to general population hiring in? 2. What other skills are you looking for?
    • Students can weld, but they need more skills to do other work and not just be a welder. Most students are well versed with MIG and TIG but need pulse welding with sheet metal up to 1 ¼’ plate.  One company replaced short circuit and spray transfer with 95% pulse for smoother, cleaner work and it paints and cleans up better.
    • AWS certificate helpful.
    • LLCC is incorporating AWS SENSE into the program. Also hoping to incorporate MIG classes to pulse spray transfers and looking at different sizes of sheet metals and stainless steel.  Will focus more on pulse.
  • Question: 1. Is there any specific training needed that LLCC could offer students. 2. Do you have enough applicants?
    • Students need to know how to set up a welder.  LLCC instructor makes the students put a feed unit back together with a .035 or .045 wire.  Emphasizes working on different kinds of drive rollers, fixing a bird nest and focuses on things students will see and run across out in the industry.
    • Two employers have enough applicants. Are always looking to expand pool. Would be interested in doing zoom meetings with classes to discuss opportunities available.
  • Question:  Does anyone have any LLCC graduates and are they having the necessary skills, and if not what can we do to improve those skills for them?
    • Skills lacking are being in attendance for 40 hours a week, soft skills including communication with others, conflict resolution, problem solving, presenting themselves better, and tardiness/lateness.  Being able to pass a drug test.
    • Things to help students improve on would be technical writing, basic auto cad drawing, reading and manufacturing a drawing, some plumbing skills, geometry, basic math, pipefitting class, PC knowledge, written and verbal skills.

3.

Josh discussed LLCC's work base learning , such as project-based classrooms, employers coming into the classrooms, job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships.

Diane Murphy from WIOA explained their on the job training program for low income, laid off, displaced workers or workers in need of new skills. If an employer hires one of these people, the employer would be reimbursed 75% of the worker’s wages while they are on the job and on the payroll for up to 6 months.  The employer does their own interviews, drug screening, hiring decisions, etc. The program also helps pay a portion of costs at LLCC for those individuals who need some new training skills. They also offer training for current employees of a company who may need updated skills.

 

Action items

NA