Even though it was summer break, May 23-27, fourteen students from Bradley Central High School and Walker Valley High School attended a first ever Welding Boot Camp at Cleveland State Community College.  The fourteen young men spent the week working and perfecting the weld in which they tested on Tuesday, May 31 with Certified Testers from Norfolk Southern. As a part of the Boot Camp students were taken to Heatec where they toured the facility and spent the afternoon job shadowing a welder on the production floor.  Heatec was an amazing partner providing lunch for the students as well as providing steel toed boots for wear in the technical areas for those who did not own boots.  In addition to the tour Cleveland State Instructor Jonathan King and nighttime instructor Chad Laxton worked with students throughout the week reinforcing and developing skills. Students completed and pass a weld test to earn an American Welding Society GMAW CW Certification in the 2F Weld Position. This is a BIG deal for these young men who are interested in pursuing education and careers in welding. The camp was an amazing success with ALL 14 passing the AWS testing.  Special Thanks to Jonathan King, Chad Laxton, Tim Wilson, Dr. Denise King, and Rick Creasy from Cleveland State!

Check out the pics of the students below: