Welding continues to be a hot career path with many jobs available in the field.
Many Quad Cities region welding students had that in mind on Wednesday, May 17, during the second annual Welding Competition held at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ John T. Blong Technology Center, 8500 Hillandale Road in Davenport.
But many say they are welding for the love of welding.
“When I weld, it’s the only thing on my mind. It’s just very calming,” said Caleb Kovacic, 17, a student at Pleasant Valley High School and one of the student welders who took part in the competition.
Several of his fellow students agreed: It’s good that welding will lead to a career, but for now, this is a great thing to do.
“It’s a hand-on experience. It can be very frustrating or a very calming experience if you know what you are doing,” said Marcus Cope, 16, of Bettendorf High School and another student welder.
On Wednesday, about 60 area students got that hands-on experience as they demonstrated their skills during the competition that took much of the day. (The first welding event was held last May.)
During the morning and early afternoon of the competition, small groups of students filled the EICC Welding Lab for rounds of welding. In each round, the students tested their skills in a series of separate workstations and had only a few minutes to complete a small welding project for the judges.
Megan Edens, an EICC welding instructor who helped coordinate the contest, said she hopes the event will help the students showcase their work, improve their skills and have some fun.
“This is fun. It’s getting them in a competitive mode. …I hope this helps with their confidence; proves to themselves that they can achieve something,” she said.
Ms. Edens added: “Mastery in welding requires both skill and passion. EICC’s Welding Competition not only showcases the technical expertise of the participants, but also ignites their love for the craft.”
In addition to welding, activities included a job fair with several employers setting up tables at the Blong Center to give information about their companies and perhaps attract a future workforce. The agriculture equipment company Kinze Manufacturing of Williamsburg, Iowa, was one of those companies.
“We’re always looking for welders,” said Kelli Kranz, a human resources worker at Kinze at the Welding Competition. “One of the big things people don’t realize is we are having trouble finding people who can read a tape measure. But we will teach anybody who is willing to learn.”
Here are the top winners from this year’s competition:
- Katherine Wilcox, 23, of Scott Community College, MIG welding, gas metal arc.
- Ayden Vickers, 17, of DeWitt, Iowa, schools and home schooled, stick welding, shielded metal arc.
- Caleb Kovacic, 17, of Pleasant Valley High School, TIG welding, gas tungsten arc.
The generous support of American Welding Society (AWS) – Eastern Iowa Section 162, the SSAB company, Jackson Safety, and Lincoln Electric made the competition possible, EICC officials said.
