A look into USU statewide welding programs

Metal clanks and flames fly as Utah State University students work on perfecting their craft.  

Utah State’s welding program allows students to fuel their trade with technique and artistry as they develop their skills in a hands-on educational environment. The program has developed to provide a range of opportunities for students looking at going into the welding industry. 

There are currently three statewide welding programs, and a fourth will be opening in Monument Valley. USU’s Blanding and Moab campuses offer a certificate level program, and Monument Valley will soon offer a certificate level program as well.   

USU Blanding student Michael Dee is a sophomore in the program who said he has always enjoyed welding. The Blanding campus is near home for him, so he applied and is enjoying his experience. 

“So far, it’s been really good,” Dee said.  

USU Eastern in Price offers an associate degree in welding technology for students looking to further advance their welding education.

Welding instructor Chloe Wilson graduated from USU Eastern’s program and said she appreciated the high-quality standards that ultimately led to her success.  

“They definitely have a very rigorous program,” Wilson said. “It’s known for creating national and international welding champions.” 

Each campus works on providing their students with an accessible and hands-on learning approach. The teachers focus on combining the strengths of technical programs with building hands-on welding skills. 

“What we’re really focused on here is to try to maximize everyone’s full potential in the industry,” said Austin Welch, associate professor in welding at USU Eastern. 

 Programs offer in-person classes that focus on technique, artistry and skill development. There are also internship opportunities available to students looking to further advance their skills. 

USU has an internship set up with Intermountain Electronics for welding students that is part-time and pays them to weld on-site. The internship allows students to build experience outside of the classroom environment and work around their class schedule. 

The in-class environment features smaller class sizes, allowing students to receive more personalized instruction. This enables instructors to tailor the education programs to fit the students’ needs. 

“I have to cater to my students in a specific way in Blanding that’s different than in Price,” Wilson said. “In Moab, it’s a very small community, very artistic community, super into outdoor recreation, and so that kind of changes the needs of their students and how the program functions in Moab. Then in Monument Valley, that location will be located on the reservation across the street from Monument Valley High School, so they’ll probably get a lot of concurrent enrollment students.” 

Wilson said she strives to give her students the opportunity her teachers and mentors gave her. She built and expanded the Moab and Blanding campuses, allowing for opportunities for students to enter the welding industry. 

“I’ve been lucky to have good mentors, and I wanted to give back,” Wilson said. 

Wilson said she hopes to be a mentor to all her students and especially help other women feel comfortable in the shop environment. She said while she is grateful for the excellent teachers and mentors she had, she never worked with women and wants to see more female representation in the trade. 

“I thought that it would be a really cool, unique opportunity to show up in the welding industry and represent women,” Wilson said. 

According to Wilson, she, alongside fellow welding instructor Adam Simpson, strives to make welding more accessible to students who don’t have access to nice equipment at home. They teach a welding sculpture class with the purpose of introducing students to blacksmithing techniques. The instructors alternate semesters, with Wilson typically teaching the summer semester class and Simpson typically teaching the fall and spring semester classes. 

Simpson prepared a project this semester that allows students to practice their welding skills both in the classroom and at home. 

“If they have an ASO — anvil-shaped object — and a campfire, they can replicate this project at home,” Wilson said. “It’s very accessible, even if you don’t have a lot of expensive equipment.” 

The class is hosting an event to display their metal hearts on the Blanding campus Quad from Feb. 9-13, leading up to Valentine’s Day. The event will aid fundraising for the welding program. 

“Any funds that we raise through this will be used to purchase items for welding classes in the future,” Wilson said. 

Wilson said activities like this help students to build confidence and skills outside of class, further expanding the welding program. The goal is to maximize the hands-on time to provide students with more opportunities in the shop to practice their techniques and find out what works for them. 

USU welding faculty hope to continue seeing expansion in their program as it becomes increasingly accessible to students of all backgrounds and enable more people to feel confidence in taking the steps to pursue a career in welding.

“Show up, work hard, do it for yourselves,” Wilson said. “Your work ethic will speak for you.”