NEW MARKET — Like his father who was a welder, Southmont High School junior Isaiah McMasters wants to make a living working with his hands.
A new alliance with Ivy Tech Community College will give McMasters the training — and academic credits — he needs to jump start his industrial welding career. Beginning in January, Southmont will host Ivy Tech’s introductory welding course, utilizing the equipment in the school’s advanced manufacturing wing.
“It’s a little different than sitting in a classroom,” McMasters said about the hands-on training in manufacturing classes.
The partnership, which was first proposed in February, marks the latest approach to helping local industries find skilled workers. The 16-week evening class is geared toward working adults, workers in retraining, hobbyists and students who need the technical skills but can’t schedule training during the school day.
“We know that this [demand] is in the community, so hopefully this is the right class at the right time,” said Brock Dahlin, Ivy Tech’s Crawfordsville site director.
The class, taught by Southmont industrial technology teacher Alan Clifton, will cover basic gas processes and other forms of electrical welding. High school students can earn college credit from Ivy Tech in the program. Registration is now available through Ivy Tech’s website.
Manufacturing accounts for nearly a quarter of Montgomery County’s workforce, employing 5,077 people in 2018, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“When we look at the adult workforce, I think we’re going to be able to give the opportunity to develop a whole new skill set for unskilled workers,”Clifton said.
After high school, McMasters plans to attend Purdue University for engineering or pursue Vincennes University’s Advanced Internship Manufacturing Program, which places students at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Caterpillar and other companies.
“It seems like a good field to go in to and make some money,” McMasters said about industrial welding.
The average pay in 2018 for welders and similar workers was $41,380 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Supervisors like Nucor Steel’s Scott Minick look to vocational students to eventually replace the plant’s aging workforce.
Nearly 13,000 Montgomery County workers will be retiring soon, according to a study from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. And Minick said millwrights and technicians are becoming harder to find.
Southmont’s advanced manufacturing program has received backing from Nucor and other local companies promoting training for skilled trades.
“I didn’t want to go to college, I liked working with my hands and that’s [the workforce] we need right now,” Minick said.
