Shelton teens compete in welding

"Fourteen minutes!"

The cry arose above the din of sparks flying, flames firing and metal clanging on the concrete floor of Sierra Pacific Industries' cold, immense fab shop Saturday morning on Shelton's waterfront. The call meant the five sets of teens from Shelton, Rochester and Elma high schools had 14 minutes left to assemble an oxyfuel cutting table at the SkillsUSA Olympic Region Welding Fab Contest.

Three hours and 46 minutes earlier, the teams had received the design plan and 43 components to assemble: legs, slats, handles, sides, safety chain hooks and leveling bolts. The winning team would move on to the state competition, with a chance to qualify for the national contest. Sierra Pacific Industries hosted the contest and Central Welding Supply donated six new Miller Multimatic 215 welders, wire, mixed gas, prize bags and volunteer support.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure the country has a skilled workforce.

Learning welding symbols is among the skills learned by the students, said Chelsea Jonas, coach of the Shelton High School team and the school's welding instructor.

At the competition, "I hope they get excited, excited that they can take these skills into the real world," Jonas said. She added, "The goal is to figure out their strengths."

"We hope this is an actual career path for them," said Wayne Wallace, the outside sales manager for Central Welding in Olympia. "Welding is a good career. They can go anywhere they want in the world."

"Name it, and somehow welding is involved," said Patricia McMahan, Central Welding's regional sales.

In a news release, Korey Harris, the superintendent of the Fab Shop, states, "Partnering with SkillsUSA and our local high schools for this competition is important to help bridge the gap between education and industry. It allows students to apply their classroom knowledge in real-world settings while fostering practical skills and confidence. This also highlights the value of skilled trades while encouraging more students to consider careers in these fields. It will not only benefit the students, it also helps address the growing demand for skilled workers in the manufacturing industry and contributes to the economic health of the community."

So what are the three

judges considering as they watch the students erect an oxyfuel cutting table?

"Safety first," Wallace said. "Safety and teamwork."

"It's got to look nice," McMahan said.

"I'm looking for communication, teamwork, how they're putting the piece together," Harris said.

Students Kolby Winans, Josiah Daniel and Ethan Watson represented Shelton High School. They eyed the construction plan, set to work and occasionally paused to confer.

Rochester team No.2 finished with an hour to spare. The trio headed upstairs to the breakroom to unwind with chili dogs and chips while the other teams continued.

The Shelton trio secured their final piece in place with only a few minutes remaining. They placed it upright and watched as the three judges circled their creation.

Winans, a junior, was introduced to welding when he was in the eighth grade.

"My stepdad took me into the garage and showed me how to weld," he said. "After he showed me, it took off." The day before, Winans placed first in solo welding at the competition at South Puget Sound Community College.

The biggest surprise at the contest was "how quickly the time was flying," Winans said.

Daniel, a junior, said he registered for his first welding class when he was in junior high school. He likes the hands-on experience.

"It's something to do with my mind and my hands ...Sometimes I get sick and tired of sitting in a classroom," he said.

Watson, a senior, started taking fabrication classes as a freshman.

As for the contest, "It was really fun and I'm happy for the experience," he said.

The Shelton team placed third out of the five teams. Rochester's team one placed first, Elma's team two second, Elma's team one fourth and Rochester's team two fifth. Rochester's team one moves on to the state competition March 28 in Tacoma.

"I'm really proud of how my students did at the SkillsUSA fabrication contest on Saturday," Jonas wrote to the Journal. "It was their first time competing, and they had to figure out a lot on the fly, but they worked great together as a team. They were dealing with new machines and torches that they had never used before, but they pushed through and handled the challenges really well. Despite not knowing what to expect, they managed to place third, which just shows how dedicated and adaptable they are. It was an awesome experience, and they really impressed me."

The welding field awaits them. The American Welding Society projects 330,000 new welding professionals will be needed by 2028. The organization states an average of 82,500 welding jobs need to be filled annually through 2028. The anticipated shortage is caused by industry growth and workers retiring, changing industries and other reasons.

At Shelton High School, ninth-grade students can take an exploratory course for the MET Welding Pathway. Students in grades 10 through 12 can also request the course, but ninth graders are given preference for academy growth.

Students learn basic welding techniques and safety. The curriculum focuses on shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, dual shield, plasma arch cutting and oxy-acetylene torch cutting.

Students learn employability skills, equipment and setup, base metal prep, weld quality and blueprint reading. Students are graded on wearing personal protective equipment, participation and behavior and classroom assignments. Individual and group activities are designed to simulate industrial welding operations. The course can be repeated for credit to master skills with approval. College credit is available.