Lindsay high school now certified welding test site
A Lindsay high school has created a new bond to help seal the future of skilled trades in Kawartha Lakes.
I.E. Weldon Secondary School recently became certified as a Canadian Welding Bureau testing site.
Not only will skilled trades students be able to access certification free of charge, but it also means members of the community will also be able to move one step closer to welding licensing right in their own backyard.
“It’s a really great opportunity for our students,” said teacher Ryan Rawlins, who came to I.E. Weldon from Fenelon Falls three years ago, drawn by the significant supports already in place at the Lindsay high school.
“They’re already here, we don’t have to book space elsewhere, and because they’ve already been working out the bugs, so to speak, it’s just a natural progression.”
Technology department head Alan Stanley accessed grants and funding from the CWB and Canadian Tooling and Machining Association (CTMA) along with tech renewal funding from the Trillium Lakelands District School Board to purchase 10 new multi-process welders, specialized curtains and protective equipment and upgrade ventilation in the classroom.
“So not only are students able to access invaluable certification, but they get to do it using the latest technology available,” said Stanley.
Completing the process to have the school qualify as a training facility took close to two years, involving both onsite and virtual inspections.
Rawlins and Stanley also took advantage of an opportunity to attend this year’s CWB Igniting New Futures conference hosted by Georgian College where both teachers received certification.
Moving forward, any manufacturing Specialist High Skills Major student — including those at other TLDSB high schools — will be able to obtain their welding certification at no cost; a savings of roughly $300. The certification is also transferable, added Stanley, and is necessary to obtain a welding ticket.
Planning has also started to extend certification access to the community.
“With any type of experiential learning, it’s all about matching what they’re doing with what they want to be doing … That’s why I view school as the ‘real world,’ ” said principal Denise DePaola.
“I think there’s lots of different ways that we can provide access to students and businesses. We just have to figure out how.”