The Pulaski County High School Career and Technical Education Center held a very special ceremony Wednesday, March 2, to cut the ribbon and officially open a new state of the art welding lab that will be a great benefit to the students.
Welding, which is one of 27 programs in seven different career fields offered by the CTE department, has been a very popular program through the years and has seen consistent growth.
“We are allowed to have 20 students maximum in a Welding class at a time,” Megan Atkinson, Director of CTE and the Governor’s STEM Academy said. “This year, we have 95 who were able to be in Welding I, II, and/or III. Due to the popularity of the class, we pay Mr. Petty to teach an additional block each year. We’ve done that for the past four years to meet the demand of student requests.”
“Student who complete the welding program through Welding III complete their SENSE, Entry-Level Welder Certification through the American Welding Society,” Mrs. Atkinson said. “Mr. Petty, our instructor, is a CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) and is an adjunct instructor at New River Community College. The students who complete this program are prepared to enter the workforce and hold a good paying job right out of high school.”
According to Indeed, local Entry Level Welders in this area start out around $15 per hour, but that can also go up to as much as $26 per hour. With a high demand for skilled workers at many local companies such as Volvo, a student who is certified and with a solid work ethic can make even more.
The new welding lab, which houses 20 booths for students to work in separately, has been a project in the works for several years.
“The new welding lab/switchgear replacement project for PCHS CTE has been on the capital improvement plan list for around six years now,” Chris Stafford, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business Operations said. “In the summer of 2016, when I served briefly as acting superintendent, Mr. Petty and I, along with some members of the School Board and Board of Supervisors, toured the Giles County CTE Center to look at their state-of-the-art welding lab. It was after this tour that Mr. Petty’s vision was added as a priority on our capital improvement plan and it took this many years to work through other capital projects and save the necessary funds to make this a reality.”
The total cost of the lab was $1,030,764. That included $212,487 for the new welders and stools and $818,277 for other expenses in the lab and the new switchgear. Money for this project was taken from the school system capital improvement fund. Local businesses also offered some assistance with the project. Imperial donated the metal that our students used to fabricate all of the tables for each welding booth. NRCC supported the effort as well. The drill press and band saw currently in the shop are on loan from the college.
In addition to welding, which falls under the Trade and Industry Program with Automotive Body Technology, Automotive Technology, Building Management, Carpentry, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Electricity, and TV/Media Production, the PCHS CTE Program also offers a wide variety of other programs.
In Agriculture Science, students can focus on Animal Science, Horticulture, or Agriculture Production. In Business and Information Technology, student can take Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Computer Programing, or Cybersecurity. Family and Consumer Sciences offers Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education and the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow program. Heath and Medical Sciences offer Nurses Aid, Pharmacy Technician and Sports Medicine. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) will be offered beginning next year. Marketing offers Marketing classes and opportunities. Technology Education offers Engineering, Manufacturing, and Robotics.
Each of these courses offer students a chance to earn industry certifications or licensing before they even graduate high school. The CTE program also works to find students internships with local businesses to help students gain real world work experience in their chosen professions.
PCHS junior Danielle Bolling, a welding student who recently placed third in the SkillsUSA welding competition who assisted with the ribbon cutting and is serving as an intern for Mr. Petty, spoke at the event.
“I plan to take Welding III next year,” she said. “Upon graduation, I plan to continue my education at NRCC and enter the industry and develop my skills further with the goal of one day becoming a welding teacher. I am most excited about the new welding lab because it will allow more space for one-on-one instruction. This lab will also give more students an opportunity to weld in a much safer environment. We’ll get to use state-of-the=art Lincoln welding machines that will allow us to practice all three welding processes using one machine. This new lab will greatly enhance our students’ opportunities to learn and we’re excited for you all to see our new shop.”
Before leaving, Mrs. Atkinson surprised Bolling by presenting her with her medal from the recent SkillsUSA competition. She also commented that upon the retirement of Mr. Petty, she hoped to see Bolling back at PCHS as the Welding Teacher.
As for the ribbon cutting at the welding lab, it seemed only appropriate for Mr. Petty to cut the metal ribbon with a torch. The ribbon will now be displayed at the lab to commemorate the event.
After the ribbon was officially cut, community members and leaders toured the lab. Refreshments were provided by the Culinary Arts Department.
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