Though women constitute between 5 and 6% of the welding industry workforce, an increasing number of young women are pursuing training in the industry at the Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center. Count BKW senior Ruby Terrell as part of that percentage. She is among approximately 10 students enrolled in the program last school year—a number that is about double what the program had just a few years ago.
For Terrell, her enjoyment of welding is about creativity and being active. “I like the creativity of welding and the ability to work with my hands,” the Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School senior said.
Of course, knowing how to weld can provide students with great career options.
The American Welding Society forecasts a need for 330,000 new welding professionals by 2028. The Capital Region BOCES Welding and Metal Fabrication program prepares students with the skills they need to either directly enter the workforce or expand their skills in a college or trade school. During the two-year program that is taught on the Albany and Schoharie campuses, students learn American Welding Society standards and earn certifications that prepare them for a career in the welding industry.
For more information on the Welding and Metal Fabrication program, go tohttps://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/welding-metal-fabrication/.
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