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Advanced Welders

All it takes is a spark to join one of the hottest fields around!

Welders are in short supply at the national, state, and local level. Opportunities are plentiful and can be very rewarding. Te welder shortage is part of a broader shortage of skilled tradespeople affecting many industries across the Gulf Coast Region.* Te average age of welders continues to rise and as current workers consider retirement, trainers struggle to meet replacement demand.Welders are in constant demand at the national, state, and local levels.

As one of the most common ways to work with metal products, welders can work in a variety of industries from commercial construction to race car manufacturing. Someone who excels one or more of the specializations below is in demand due to shortages of workers :

  • welding (joining metals)
  • cutting (using heat to trim metals)
  • soldering or brazing (joining metals with high heat temperatures)

The Gulf Coast Region needs nearly 23,000 Welders by 2028.

22% Growth

Growth 318 Retirement 547 Transfer 1794

Do you enjoy building things? Welders work in a wide variety of industries and earn a median annual wage of $23.04 per hour, which translates to more than $47,000 per year!

Entry $35,771 Median $47,876 Experienced $58,086

Top 5 Industries for Welders

Pathway to a Career In Welding

High School Endorsement: Business & Industry

Pathway to a Career In Welding

Some high schools offer skills-based learning programs for cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing as well for a head start, but this career is all about learning those hard skills. The pathway to becoming a welder, cutter, solderer, or brazer, begins with a training programs at (the aforementioned highschools,) the local community college or vocational-institute. Begin as a welder and work your way into other fields as you gain experience and train in apprenticeships.

Courses in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, mechanical drawing, physics, chemistry, and metallurgy are helpful for practical experience, but certifications in welding are available to show your employer as well as a testament to your skillsets. 

 

 Welder Craft Focus: "Once I Became a Welder, Everything Changed"
 

Welding Occupations and Beyond

Welders can use their skills to pursue careers in other high-demand occupations such as:

  • Welder-pipefitter and other pipe trades
  • Structural Welder 
  • Welder-fitter
  • Maintenance Mechanic
  • Scaffold Builders
  • Millwrights

  

Talents, Knowledge and Important Abilities for Welding Jobs

  • Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the appropriate tools
    to construct objects, structures, and buildings
  • Design - Knowledge of design techniques,
    principles, tools and instruments involved in the production and use of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models
  • Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, benefits, repair, and
    maintenance
  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of inputs, outputs, raw materials, waste, quality
    control, costs, and techniques for maximizing the manufacture and distribution of goods
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and  repeatedly make precise adjustments in moving the controls of a machine to exact positions
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep
    the hand and arm steady
  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly make coordinated movements
  • Trunk Strength - The ability to use one’s    abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or continuously
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details of objects at a close range

Gulf Coast Region Welding Programs - Community Colleges: 


 

 

If you have questions about our Industry/Occupation Profiles or are an organization in the Gulf Coast Region, please contact webmaster@wrksolutions.com.

*Includes the following counties: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton.

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