A welder in a face-covering safety mask works at welding with bright sparks.

Like many of the career paths available to graduates of ATE-funded programs, welding professionals have a wide variety of opportunities available to them. From construction to manufacturing, engineering to energy, skilled welders are in high demand in a number of critical industries across the country. In many of these industries, welders need only complete a certificate program or two-year college degree to start a promising career at a good salary.

In this From the Archive blog post, we highlight an array of materials created by and for welding programs across ATE to educate the next generation of welders. Our first set of resources include two courses created by the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT) in partnership with Roane State Community College. Next up are curricular materials that focus on mathematics instruction for welders, followed by a template to aid instructors in evaluating the welding competency of their students. 

If you are new to ATE and would like to learn more about adding your curriculum, professional development materials, or other ATE grant deliverables to the ATE Central Archive, please join us for an informational presentation via Zoom on September 28th at noon CST.

Welding Courses

Roane State Community College is one of many institutions to partner with CAAT at Macomb Community College in Warren, MI. Together, CAAT and their partner institutions create and publish technical education materials that meet industry needs, including in-classroom resources for welding education. Here are two such courses, both available as .zip downloads:

• In Robotic Welding, students are introduced to robotic welding systems and learn how to perform basic procedures. Course materials include a 5-page syllabus, 14 PowerPoint lectures, and 15 lesson plans.
• Instructors of this Aluminum Welding course share safe and proper machine set-up, demonstrate the welding characteristics of aluminum, and explain the use of special equipment associated with aluminum welding. Course materials include a 12-page syllabus, 13 short lab activities, 10 weekly PowerPoint lectures, supplemental materials, 4 module PowerPoint lectures, and 4 module exams.

For more archived resources by CAAT, visit the ATE Central resource portal.

Mathematics for Welders

The Contextualize to Learn research project explores how “faculty engage with professional development around math contextualization and the effect of contextualization on student outcomes, learning experiences, and motivational beliefs in math and overall educational and career success.” During the course of their work, the project assembled a selection of math materials—including instructor guides, exams, student instructions, and other support materials—relevant to the educational needs of welding students. Amongst those topics covered are Fabrication Graphics and Blueprint Reading for Welders.

For more archived resources by Contextualize to Learn: Preparing Faculty Toward Math Contextualization for Student Success in Advanced Technological Education, visit the ATE Central resource portal.

Template for Welding Course Competency Evaluation Form

This template from Monroe Community College is a welding course competency evaluation form designed to help assess student abilities in either a welding course or during a job training activity. The form lists 13 competencies that instructors can rate from 5 to 0, with 5 denoting "demonstrated ability with no guidance" and 0 denoting "no exposure."

For more archived resources by Advanced Welder Education, visit the ATE Central resource portal.