Welding Technology
In the NTC Welding program, students learn basic and advanced welding in four areas: ARC, TIG, MIG, and Layout and Fabrication. Students’ welding skills must meet the AWS certification test standards for both structural and high-pressure vessel welding.
Welders need good eyesight, hand-eye coordination, and manual dexterity. They should be able to concentrate on detailed work for long periods and be able to bend, stoop, and work in awkward positions.
Welders may work outdoors in inclement weather or indoors in an area designed to contain sparks and glare. When outdoors, they may work on a scaffold or platform high off the ground.
Starting salaries of most Welding graduates range between $15,000 and $24,000 per year, depending upon job location and individual competence.
Welding is the most common way of permanently joining metal parts. Because of its strength, welding is used in shipbuilding, automobile manufacturing and repair, aerospace applications and thousands of other manufactured products. Welding is also used to join beams when constructing buildings, bridges, and other structures, and to join pipes in pipelines, power plants, and refineries.
Skilled welders generally plan work from drawings, specifications or by using their knowledge of welding and metals to analyze damaged metal parts. They then select and set up welding equipment and examine welds to insure they meet standards or specifications. Some welders have more limited duties, however. They perform routine jobs that have already been planned and laid out and do not require extensive knowledge of welding techniques.
Welding machine operators set up and operate welding machines, as specified by layouts, work orders, or blueprints. These operators must load parts correctly and constantly monitor the machine to ensure that it produces the desired weld.