Free Welding Training Program Presented by UAW-Ford

UAW-Ford attracted almost a dozen participants to its veteran welding program held last August 11. They partnered with the Wounded Warriors Family Support program. The course is a month and a half long and takes place at the UAW-Ford Technical Training Center.

Present in the inauguration of the program were Jimmy Settles, Vice President of UAW-Ford; Bill Dirksen, Vice President of Labor Affairs of Ford Motor; and Col. John Folsom, President and Founder of the Wounded Warriors Program. Settles said that there is nothing greater that a person can do for the United States than fight for it. He added that outlook for skilled welder jobs is good and the program allows them to help the veterans and the companies.

Veterans can enroll in the training program for free as long as they are members of the Wounded Warrior program across the nation. Attendees who are from outside Detroit have been given free housing, allowance food, and transportation while they attend the classes.

Instructors of the program are retired welders from the UAW. Once the program has ended, participants are given certificates from the American Welding Society. The organization will also give job placement services in production, repair, and construction welding.

Dirksen said that manufacturing sector is increasing and there’s a need for more skilled trade workers and welders. He also said that Ford Motors is honored to be a partner in the program, together with Wounded Warriors and UAW. The program will create the next wave of welders that the manufacturing sector requires.

According to the latest report, there is a lack of more than 200,000 skilled welders within the next decade in the United States. This is due to the expected growth in the industrial sector, especially in manufacturing and construction. The workforce is also getting old and there is a need for younger replacements.