Area prepares for expanded welding trade

As the railcar manufacturing industry rolls into town, the focus shifts to the next stop: the employment line.

The industry, named National Alabama Corp., is part of the Canadian holding company, National Steel. The manufacturing facility is projected to provide 1,800 jobs, many of which will be for people with a welding background.

Humphrey Lee, president of Northwest-Shoals Community College, said officials from the industry had come to look at the training facility and techniques at the college to see if it could meet its training needs.

The program at Northwest-Shoals lines up with the type of training the industry needs, Lee said.

"It's a healthy mixture of technology and basic skills," Lee said.

Northwest-Shoals has been preparing for the welding trade to expand with the industry. In October, the TimesDaily announced a survey being conducted by the college to see if the workforce was present in the Shoals area for the railcar corporation to come here.

The survey received 2,850 calls or e-mails from people experienced in welding or willing to learn, according to officials with Northwest-Shoals and the-Shoals Economic Development-Authority.

Lee said the results showed the basic numbers and the abilities in the area were well over what the industry wanted.

Northwest-Shoals has seen a slight increase in its welding program -- 23 new students in the summer semester, said Joe Hackworth, division chairman for technical programming.

"We anticipate seeing an influx in students," Hackworth said.

William Garner, welding instructor at Northwest-Shoals, said he expects a higher volume once the long-time buzz becomes concrete fact about job opportunities in the field.

While the actual building will take time, Lee said training will begin immediately to develop a workforce.

"We'll be partnering with AIDT (Alabama Industrial Development Training) with training and start-up," Lee said.

State incentive money pays for the training, but the top-of-the-line, recently upgraded program was what helped draw the industry to the area, Lee said.

The program continues to benefit from a 2005, $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Labor Department.

"It was almost serendipitous," Lee said of the timing of the grant.

Garner said the upgrade included 30 stations and technology such as a robotic welder.

"Every piece of equipment in here is new," Garner said.

The welding jobs will include manufacturing welding jobs and jobs working with robotic welders, but even those employed with the robotic welders must still know how to recognize a good weld. Lee said the plant will include technology such as a 22-foot robotic arm.

"They were very comfortable with our teaching simulation," Lee said.

The program has also been recruiting in the community at local school systems, career centers and in the community college, Hackworth said.

Training for welding starts even younger at Florence High School and Allen Thornton Career Technical Center in Killen.

Jeanette Custer, administrator of career technical education for the Florence City School system, said the welding program at Florence High School allows students to earn college credit, and many students transfer to the community college welding program after graduation.

"Students are able to get a good foundation of education in various welding skills," Custer said.

Rick Ashley, welding instructor at Florence High School, said the new possibilities for employment will have a big impact on the 100 to 110 students in the program, of whom 15 to 20 are usually seniors.

"We're training a lot of kids in welding and they're going off and working outside of the area," Ashley said.

Allen Thornton Career Technical Center Counselor Diane Harris said about 30 students are enrolled in the 10th- to 12th-grade program at their school.

Recent grads represent just one type of student. Garner said students in the Northwest-Shoals program vary in experience, age and hometown.

"We get people from every walk of life," Garner said.

At Northwest-Shoals, there are 42 students enrolled in the program, two of whom are women, Garner said.

Some welding students at Northwest-Shoals come from other schools, and some have a manufacturing or technical background, Hackworth said.

"There are some who have no background who are just wanting to learn a trade," Hackworth said.

In the future, Northwest-Shoals will probably highlight its welding program because of the sheer number of students, Lee said, and they plan on continuing to work with the industry and be seen as a source of employees.

"We're going to be adjustable, flexible and willing to work with the customer," Lee said.

TimesDaily Staff Writer Sarah Day Owen can be reached at 740-5728.