The Welding Technology Program has been a member of the SENSE (Schools Excelling in National Standards Education) program since 1996 and is certified as an American Welding Society (AWS) Educational Institution. The College also serves as a site for AWS Welding Code Certification Testing for the region. GBC’s Welding Department has become the center for welding technologies in northeastern Nevada.

Students. Most students are now seeking skills training rather than pursuing a degree or certificate. The program has shown growth in the past five years. Enrollment will vary from fall to spring semester partly because students in the MTC and degree program are routinely scheduled for additional welding courses in the spring.

Faculty. Great Basin College employs two full-time instructors, Richard Barton and John Licht. These instructors were hired in 1995 and 1997. The department uses two qualified part-time instructors as dictated by enrollments.

The instructors are continually seeking ways to improve the quality of the welding program through curriculum and professional development.

FACULTY

*Approximate years teaching elsewhere or professional related work experience.

Resources. The welding lab area has 18 welding stations and approximately 25 welding machines, a band saw, plasma cutter, an upgraded electronic pattern cutter and iron working machine. Eighty percent of the class time is spent in the shop area and the rest of the time is spent in the classroom.

In the past few years, the 18 workstations in the shop have been updated with new welding positioners. The department has purchased a new hydraulic sheer, punching and metal brake attachments, and a larger automated flame-cutting table. Also, the department has purchased basic metal testing equipment and new videos for safety and welding instruction. The budget for supplies and consumables is adequate, mainly through the student lab fee and occasional donations of scrap metal. Lab fees are assessed depending on the classes taken.

Significant Changes
Curriculum development. The department expanded the curricula to include pipe-fitting, layout, and pipe welding. Over the past several years, parts of the program have been combined and rearranged to make the transition from one course to another easier and more logical for the students. Students may enter the program in either fall or spring semester. The two full-time instructors design the program, which follows the AWS guidelines and standards, and meets the needs of the students. The instructors attend workshops and training seminars sponsored through AWS or other appropriate entities to make sure that they are keeping abreast of current trends in the welding industry.

High school relations. For the past five years (1998-2002) the Welding Department has offered a summer welding workshop for high school welding instructors to upgrade their welding skills. From seven to fourteen teachers attend the workshop where they learn new skills which then provide more up-to-date instruction for high school students. The workshops have been funded through School-to-Careers and have been very successful. The summer welding workshop has been one of the most important avenues for strengthening relationships between GBC and high school occupational/technical programs, not only in the college service area but beyond.

The department now makes annual visits to the high schools to recruit and promote the welding program and provide certification testing for the local high school students in Elko and Spring Creek. Through the efforts of the GBC Welding Department, the AWS curriculum has been introduced to 11 high schools in the region.

Analysis
Student outcomes and evaluation. The students are given a syllabus, which specifies exactly what is required of them. Assessment is mainly observed through the visual inspection of welds, certification tests and one-on-one conferences with the students. The students are allowed to take certification tests during and at the end of the program. Because the instructors are trained as weld inspectors, they are qualified to evaluate the students work in “progress” according to welding code requirements. Written tests are also used as assessment tools.

The retention rate is a testimony to the quality of the program with well above 90 percent. Dropouts, which are not frequent, are usually due to lack of attendance, which results in the students getting too far behind with their hands-on assignments. But the most important key to evaluating the department is the employment rate after successfully completing the program. Over 80 percent of the graduates find jobs within three months of finishing the program. The percentage could be higher if some students were willing to move to where other jobs are located. The program also receives feedback from local employers.

STRENGTHS
• Two qualified, experienced instructors.
• Qualified adjunct instructors available as needed.
• On-site certified AWS welding inspection capabilities.

CHALLENGES
• Current facility is too small.
• More opportunities for professional development needed for updates in welding technology.

RECOMMENDATIONS/ACTION ITEMS
• Develop a fabrication program as a second year option.
• Offer non-destructive testing courses.
• Offer degree courses at a time that non-traditional students can get their degrees.
• Visit other training programs to help strengthen our welding program.
• Begin replacement schedule for the older welding machines.
• Expand into robotics at some future time.