Anyone interested in welding or construction as a career can enroll for welding or carpentry classes at Pensacola State College to be offered this fall starting Monday, August 19.
The certified welding program requires 1,050 clock hours and can be accomplished in three semesters, offering daytime classes in Century and day and evening classes in Milton. In three semesters, students learn the skills, knowledge and customized training to be a journey level professional welder through instruction in all common manual welding and cutting processes.
A state-of-the-art mobile training unit helps students develop and fine tune welding skills in a safe setting and those skills will transfer to live welding applications.
Benefits include state-of-the-art equipment, certified instructors, financial assistance for those who qualify, personalized career coaching, resume writing classes, interview techniques workshops, tutoring services, a computer lab and job placement assistance.
Training includes preparation for certification exams by National Center for Construction, Education and Research (NCCER) and the american Welding Society (AWS).
Graduates are ready for immediate employment and belong to a network, Skills USA, that provides opportunities to learn and meet potential employers.
Training includes oxy/fuel cutting, plasma cutting and welding with TIG, Stick, MIG and Flux cored wires on regular steel, stainless steel, aluminum plate and pipe in all positions.
The carpentry program is also a certified program, offering various certifications and a State of Florida Carpentry License in only three semesters.
Also a part of Skills USA, the carpentry program has the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Chapter, which helps promote the policies that make housing a national priority.
Students can learn to work on current and future construction projects such as Tumbleweed Tiny House Projects, Affordable House projects, Habitat for Humanity and various carpentry and woodworking projects in the construction lab. Students learn safe construction work habits, proper use of all tools, building materials, systems and technology selections, building layout and foundation formwork, advanced wall, floor and roof framing, interior and exterior trim, hardware and interior finishes, sustainable design strategies, green building best practices and applied building science practices.
A certified construction worker can make as much as $17.06 an hour or more, with a chance to increase.
Former students who have completed the program and are currently working at Austal in Mobile, Ingalls Shipbuilding, the Escambia County Jail Project and the Three-Mile contruction project, to name a few, according to PSC Century Director Paula Byrd. Byrd says there are former students employee all of the United States who got hired after completing the programs offered in Century.
“We can assist everything from the initial application to the college all the way through helping secure financial aid,” said Byrd. “Applicants are not required to have a GED or high school diploma, however, it is required to qualify for financial aid.”
Spaces are limited, so contact the school as soon as possible to begin registration. For more information, contact Byrd at 850-471-4622.
