Marking the beginning of new opportunities for students and the next step for the welding program, Lehigh Career and Technical Institute celebrated the grand opening ceremony of its new Welding Technology Center last week.

LCTI welding technology student Jordan Everett had the honor of cutting the main “ribbon,” a length of red chain, with an oxyacetylene torch as other students and attendees cut real ribbons strung across the welding booths to commemorate the center’s opening.

Breaking ground on March 14, 2019, the Welding Technology Center is twice the size of LCTI’s old lab with about 10,000 square feet of instructional space and 2,000 square feet of storage. The new setup allows 50 students to weld simultaneously.

The lab includes a theory room with virtual welding simulators, a CNC plasma cutting table and plasma cutter, a material hoist and a dedicated grinding room. It also houses 10 workstations and 40 welding booths equipped with capture arms and welders.

“This $4.25 million project represents the complete evolution of our welding program here at LCTI, including instruction, environment and technology,” Dr. Thomas Rushton, LCTI’s executive director, said about the new facility’s capabilities.

“Our mission is workforce development, always has been, and the welding technology center allows us to meet the changing demands of industry, increase capacity and better serve our sending schools and students by preparing them to enter the workforce with the right skills and experience.”

Rushton thanked his team, school superintendents, and staff for their guidance and work to make the Welding Technology Center a reality.

“Without your help, we would not be able to have this ceremony here today,” he said. “I am fortunate to have great team members that I can count on to get the job done.”

The featured speakers were Sean Moran, American Welding Society District 3 director; Don Cunningham, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation president and CEO; and Everett.

Moran said it was a “tremendous” opportunity to be at the opening of the welding center, noting that demand for welders was increasing nationwide.

“One thing we have seen in industry throughout the nation is this drive for welding students; we have such a high need for welders,” Moran said.

He said that by 2023, there could be a need for 375,000 welders in the workforce.

“One thing we always hope to see is institutions such as this; the success and ability of the institution, their success going forward, and the future success of your students,” Moran said. “I look forward to visiting more.”

Cunningham spoke about how welders and LCTI’s welding program play an important role in the Lehigh Valley.

“This project, being able to deliver welders into our economy at such a high skill level, is critical to the whole ecosystem of the Lehigh Valley,” he said.

The region is the 50th largest manufacturing center in the United States with over 34,000 manufacturing jobs.

“We aren’t the 50th largest population center in the United States of America, so we are punching well above our weight class with $7.8 billion in annual GDP coming from our manufacturing sector,” Cunningham said.

He added that in the past three years, there has been a demand for 275 welders in the Lehigh Valley and noted that it was because of institutions like LCTI that young workers are available to fill these positions.

“Almost every sector of our economy, in some way, is employing these young men and women that you’ve trained at this school, and you’ve more than doubled your capacity now to turn out welders,” he said.

Everett spoke about how his education at LCTI has honed his skills in welding, allowing him to succeed in his co-op position as a welder with Schlosser Steel Inc.

“I came into the welding program with little to no knowledge about this field,” Everett said. “I now can go to work every day and they trust me to put my stamp on it.

“Without the skills I learned here, I wouldn’t have this job and the opportunities to take what I do for a living so far.”

After the ceremony, attendees toured the facility while students familiarized themselves with the booths and equipment and received hands-on practice with the welding simulators.

Kurt Adam, director of career and technical education, said that the center marked a new step in LCTI’s future, opening doors for students’ education.

“The welding technology center project will afford exponential opportunities for students for many years to come,” he said.