College to Teach Welding On-Site at Temcor in Effingham

 

SAVANNAH – Officials from Savannah Technical College and Temcor gathered this morning to unveil a new dedicated welding lab located on the manufacturer’s plant floor. “We’re excited to be able to offer our students the experience of being in the industrial environment while they are preparing for work,” said College President Kathy S. Love. “We are very proud of our partnership with Temcor and appreciate the vision and leadership they have shown to make this happen.”

          Leland Sanders, Temcor Vice President of Manufacturing added, “We wanted to bring access to this program to the residents of Effingham County. There are a number of manufacturers in the area and all of us benefit from a strong pool of skilled welders. I’m glad Temcor could play a part in making this happen."  

The lab features 15 welding booths; eight dedicated to oxyacetylene welding and seven general purpose booths capable of shielded metal arc (Stick) welding, gas metal arc (MIG) welding, flux core arc welding and gas tungsten arc (TIG) welding as well as oxyfuel and plasma cutting and arc gouging. Classroom lectures will be conducted in the company’s break room.

 “Students who enroll in this program will learn basic welding skills and what it takes to be hired by area employers,” says Welding & Joining Technology Department Head and Instructor Neil Brabham. “We also teach them what they need to do to gain nationally-recognized welding certification.” STC has placed students in area manufacturing industries in installation and repair, shipping and aerospace including JCB, TIC, Gulfstream Aerospace, IMI and Delta Metals.    

The college will offer all of the courses in the welding diploma program at Temcor with classes taught in the evenings. In addition to the 75-credit hour welding diploma, the college offers two different certificate programs; one in Shielded Metal Arc and one in Gas Metal Arc. “Students can complete both of the certificate programs in nine months and be ready to go to work,” says Brabham. The diploma program usually takes between a year and a half and two years to complete.

Brabham, a former US Army helicopter crew chief, has been department head for 3 years and was an adjunct faculty member for five years prior. “In my time here, I’ve seen the program grow significantly both in the number of students we enroll and the number of employers who hire our graduates,” he says. The program currently serves 56 students at the Savannah Campus and 6 are enrolled in the Effingham Temcor class. “These students signed up before we even announced the program – I think that says a lot about how eager people are to learn welding skills,” says Brabham.  In addition to employers, he notes that a number of local unions recognize the STC diploma as counting for 18 months of training toward journeyman status. Welding instruction at Temcor will be provided by Terry Edwards and Theodore Boyd, both very experienced welders.

The future looks bright at STC for welding instruction. According to Brabham, the college is considering offering classes in TIG welding and in ornamental iron. For information about welding at Savannah Technical College, contact Neil Brabham at nbrabham@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.5863.