Students Able to Go Directly into Work Force after DHS Welding Program
The Dickinson High School welding program provides students the ability to earn up to 13 certifications and go straight into the work force after they graduate. They can earn $75 an hour. Instructor Ricky Cox said that he teaches the same class at San Jacinto College but they don’t give certifications there. He has 13 certifications that let him help his students from DHS to get one or all of the certifications. And when they do, they can start making good money after high school.
Cox said that the pipe industry is looking for more than a million welders and students from the Dickinson High School program can make $35 per hour. The pipe industry is looking for more welders and the some companies are willing to pay big money for certified welders.
The American Welding Society is the organization that gives the certifications to the students. In the advanced class, the students are taught various types of welds, such as shielded metal arc welding, tungsten inert gas, metallic inert gas, and gas tungsten arc welding. All these welds are vital to the gas and oil industry as well as the pipeline industry.
Students learn the basic welds during their first year in the program and then they can work on as many certifications as they can. Some students claim that it is the best time to happen for them in high school. They have fun working on projects and also knowing that they have skills to go directly to work and earn good money.
Dickinson has the best equipment and really cares about the program. Cox said that instructors receive support from the administration, school board, principal and teachers. Welding is just one of the CTE programs of the high school. Other programs include agricultural technology education, automotive service, cosmetology, and Business Education.
