A New Approach to Welder Training- "Earn While You Learn" |
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
Lauren Engineers & Constructors, Inc.
901 S. First St.
Abilene, TX, 79602
USA
Press release date: October 8, 2008
A New Approach to Welder Training- "Earn While You Learn"
Abilene,TX, October 8, 2008: Lauren Fabricators, a division of Lauren Engineers & Constructors, Inc, has developed and launched a new welder training program aimed at offsetting the current shortage of trained welders. In response to the severe shortage of qualified welders throughout the country, this program focuses on taking welders with basic skills and training them to become certified combination welders.
Mac Martinez, a seasoned code welder with over 20 years of experience, is serving as the head trainer for this program. Since beginning this effort for current Lauren employees in January of 2008, 11 welders have already completed the program with another 5 currently enrolled. One of the things that will make this program successful is a balanced focus on training current employees as well as an aggressive campaign to recruit new talent. Specifically, Lauren has a goal of 50% participation for current employees.
The vision of this program is to provide an opportunity for welders of all experience levels to increase their skill set - and it's working, too. Abe Chiappone, a newly certified pipe welder who is part of Lauren's training program, comments: "Through hands-on, practical training, I learned more in one week through Lauren's training program than I did in seven months at welding school."
Unlike welding schools that teach welding processes alone, Lauren's training program builds upon a one-on-one approach in which welding instructors provide hands-on training that goes well beyond the fundamentals of welding. Lauren's training program focuses on a three-phase approach to help welders increase their skill set. The three levels of certification for the program - from beginner to advanced - include: basics of stick welding including structural welding, fit-ups, and material overview; advanced stick welding/introduction to TIG welding including pipe welding, pipe fitting, and weld symbol interpretation; and advanced combination pipe welding which includes dual process welding procedures and blueprint reading and interpretation.
Skilled welders are in high demand and, as such, more and more individuals are becoming interested in this program not only because they can learn a new skill, but also because they can significantly increase their wages in a relatively short period of time. Average shop wages for structural welders, single-process welders, and combination pipe welders are $14/hr, $18/hr and $22/hr, respectively. A beginner structural welder can complete the required training and improve his/her welding classification one level in around three months, meaning that an average structural welder could be trained to become a code welder in around nine months. For welders who begin this program as structural welders and continue training until they are code certified, this training payoff would yield a 60% higher hourly wage in just under one year, making this an extremely attractive program for welders who desire to become certified combination pipe welders.
Lauren Fabricator's vision is for this program to become one of the premier welder training programs in the US. This on-the-job training method stands as a great alternative because, unlike other welder training programs, this training is offered at no cost to the trainee. In fact, all trainees are paid their normal hourly rate for time they spend in training, a concept that supports the motto of this program: "Earn While You Learn."
As the demand for this program continues to grow, Lauren is committed to expanding the resources dedicated to making this program a success. More details on Lauren Fabricators and this unique training opportunity can be found at www.laurenec.com
ABOUT LAUREN
Lauren is a leader in many diversified markets such as Alternative Energy, Polymers, Power, Pulp & Paper, Refining, Special Metals and Materials Handling. With offices throughout the US and Canada, Lauren provides Engineering, Procurement and Construction services to industrial customers worldwide. As the EPC contractor for the Nevada Solar One Power Project and as a Top 400 Contractor, Lauren is known as the premier contractor for Concentrated Solar Power facilities in the US. For more information about Lauren, please visit us online at www.laurenec.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
