What’s Up In The Shop?
Whats all going on in advanced welding?
May 28, 2019
As the school year winds to an end, many students are feeling crunched for time. This is no exception for all the welding students. With many still working on their personal projects, the thought of a final weld test seems daunting.
Well, you may be wondering what this final test involves. It is the same test that SpecSys uses for new employees to show off their skills. Andy Robinson, a foreman at SpecSys, and Nick, a lead welder at SpecSys, came in to explain the test. It is a steel cube with a stitch welded insert. Each of the corners is a vertical down weld. They said that the students can either use MIG or TIG to weld it, but if they are looking to get employed at SpecSys then it needs to be MIG welded. During their visit, they talked about industry standards and when the different kinds of welds would be used.
But that’s not where the Partnership between NUHS and SpecSys stops. If you were to look around the shop, you would notice a sign that says SpecSys. Andy Robinson came in a second time to talk about how they want the sign to be put together. He said it didn’t matter what kind of welding is used on it as long as it looks professional. He also said that they would paint it blue and white and hang it in their shop.
To understand how this NUHS and SpecSys partnership came to be, I talked to Mr. Nelson, the welding teacher at NUHS. He said, “We were trying to get people from businesses to come into class for better community engagement. We have been communicating with SpecSys for about three years now.”
We are trying to bridge the gap between school and industry.
— Mr. Nelson
Mr. Nelson also tossed around the idea of NUWIC or New Ulm Weld Industry Certification. This would be an agreement between the major welding shops in town. If a student can pass a weld test, then they can get hired at any of those welding shops. This a very good option for students looking for temporary or local welding jobs.