Student welders find professional success while pursuing studies
Welding students at Erie 1 BOCES’ Kenton Career and Technical Center are making inroads on their future careers as they pursue their high school studies.
Meet Liam MacDonald, a senior from the Tonawanda City School District. The 18-year-old was working on an in-class project creating a memorial bench for a local Girl Scout organization. Outside of class, MacDonald also works with Lancaster Tanks and Steel Products, working side-by-side with veteran trade workers in the development of items such as fuel tanks.
“It’s great to be able to start off and get actual experience,” MacDonald said. “I can take what I learn from here and build on that at my work.”
The interest in students like MacDonald comes as many companies seek their next generation of workers. A 2021 New York State Department of Labor report found that more than half of the workers in the specialty trade contractors’ industry are at least 45 years old, and that their retirement will contribute to new job opportunities in the next decade. A separate study by the Associated General Contractors of America found 89 percent of contractors are having a hard time finding craft workers.
“They can’t just hire anyone. They have to hire someone with a skill,” said Frank Rosiek, who teaches the welding students. “I like the fact that out of this class I have some that want to be professionals.”
MacDonald said he first developed an interest in welding by watching his father weld and work with his hands.
“I thought it was cool, so I wanted to come check it out, and ended up falling in love with it,” he said.
Rosiek said that students initially learn about safety in their work, before getting into the basics of welding.
“We’ve got to get that foundation before we can start,” he said. “You’ve got to have the skill to build.”
As they progress through their initial studies, Rosiek said developing students’ mental stamina is just as important as the developing the muscle memory for their welds.
Through it all, Rosiek said he tells students to take pride in their work.
“I tell them, ‘Your weld is your signature,’” he said.
MacDonald said he is appreciative of the opportunity to start his career, and that many of the lessons he’s learned in class have had daily applications. Among the highlights of his young career is the feeling of seeing the fruits of his labor.
“I remember the first big project I did at work, just taking a step back and looking at it and thinking to myself, ‘Wow, I built that. My hands were working on that at one point,’” MacDonald said.
MacDonald said that students entering the program need to have the drive to improve their skills.
“If you really want to do it, and you get in there and practice and practice, it will eventually come to you,” he said.
For more information about the welding program, visit e1b.org/cte.