Welding school taps into region’s wealth of talent
Students learn, share value of important trade
Bob Romero knows firsthand that becoming a certified welder is no easy task as there is a specific code required for virtually every application of welding, including those written by the American Welding Society and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Unlike the plumbing or electrical trades, Romero believes that welding certification is not a license as there isn’t a single test that will certify individuals to weld everything.
That’s why in 2016, Romero founded Maryland Welding Technology Inc., a training and testing facility in White Plains, in conjunction with B&R Welder Repair Service Inc., to help individuals know what welding
process they need to use, material types and thickness as well as what positions they will use in production.
“Some people want to weld their old cars, explore metal sculpting, brush up on their welding skills, pursue a career in welding, or be owners of companies who want to know what is involved when they are hiring welding contractors,” Romero said in an email. “Maryland Welding Technology Inc. AWS certified welder tests and training-certified welder tests provide a definitive series of procedures, which specify how to correctly execute various weld processes.”
Romero said one of the perks about “gaining a welding credential” is that it can benefit an individual’s “salary increase and employment prospects.”
“We have had about 60 people throughout our classrooms,” said Romero, a longtime welder repair technician and welding supply distributor whose school offers services that provide required testing and code documents. “Most want to learn the proper way to weld and safety instruction whether it’s working on a car, aluminum and stainless steel for boats, or to advance themselves in their field.”
Romero’s welding facility has trained more than 55 people in various stages of welding such as metal inert gas, or MIG, tungsten inert gas, or TIG, and unshielded stick welding. Individuals who receive a welding credential through Romero’s facility, which is one of only two testing facilities in Maryland accredited by the American Welding Society, are “nationally recognized” and able to demonstrate “proficiency in meeting a specific weld process requirement,” according to Romero.
“I’m the one who got [Romero’s] school accredited as a testing and AWS facility,” said John Balazek of Dentsville, who became a certified welding inspector in 2008 and was the chief welding inspector for the Brandywine and Waldorf power plants. “My role primarily is to make sure everything is up to the specs and standards of the American Welding Society, and then administer tests when the students have completed their classes and are prepared to take a certification test. People who need to get a certification or have theirs renewed can come to our facility as well.”
Balazek said he is a “sheet metal journeyman by trade and a welder by specialty.” Over his 36 years of experience, he has racked up several awards for craftsmanship and innovation and amassed a long list of certifications, according to Romero’s website.
“For a welder, you’re only as good as much as you care,” Balazek said. “Welders can go very far. When I was working the power plants, I was out there making $60 something an hour and getting $200 a day, per diem.”
Balazek first learned how to weld at the age of 14 so that he could repair his bike, a hobby which eventually led to him taking up a sheet metal apprenticeship later in his teens. He gained experience welding car floor pans, body panels, subframe connectors and suspension modifications while in high school, but is now a master welder of stainless steel, black iron, galvanized sheet metal and aluminum.
“Just get in there and learn and study, and listen to the people who know what they are doing,” Balazek said.”
Classes offered at Maryland Welding Technology Inc. cover the basic components and common processes used, as well as give an overview of the various types of welded joints and describe how electrical variables affect arc welding.
One of the most common welding codes is AWS D1.1 which covers structural steel welding for things like a car trailer, machine support or a handrail. Under this particular code, “the certification of a welder is the responsibility of that welder’s employer or themselves,” Romero said.
“When we conduct testing of a plate or pipe for welder certification, we sign the appropriate code form stating that we conducted the testing of that weldment to the requirements of the applicable code,” he said. “And if the coupon passes, the welder is AWS certified in that code and is listed on the AWS website.”
Having enrolled in Romero’s school, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jon Roe recently became certified in structural steel after passing the American Welding Society’s combo D1.1 SMAW 3G and 4G tests, which each took between six and eight hours to complete. Roe plans to become a professional welder when he retires from the military.
“It’s been a really good experience. I came in with no experience welding and asked these guys to get me to the point, in a year, where I could go back home and open a business if I wanted to or go work for somebody,” said Roe. “They were very receptive and told me exactly what I needed to know and what I needed to shoot for on my structural welding certification.”
Roe, a native of South Carolina, credits his military experience for giving him a competitive edge in welding. But it was the expertise of Romero’s staff, including Balazek and welding teacher R.J. Yates, that Roe said helped him accomplish what he set out to do within six months as opposed to a year.
“I’m almost 20 years in the military and going for my [D1.1 certificate] was one of the hardest things I’ve tried to do in a single day. It was rough,” Roe said. “You mess up a couple of times and frustration starts to set in. But I’ve had those situations before as part of my military experience . ... It definitely helped me with doing this.”
Roe said the one-on-one interaction at the school is unmatched compared to a technical college.
“You don’t develop bad habits in here,” said Roe, who is now working toward his AWS 6G pipe welding certification. “To go from having no experience to having 120 hours when I got certified is a testament to these guys. All I had to do was work hard and trust them. It doesn’t do you any good if you don’t have somebody to pour the knowledge into you.”
Romero said there is an “untapped wealth of talent out there” that just “needs to be trained and certified.”
“I’m going to get back home and see what the market is like down there,” Roe added. “I just thank these guys for everything that they’ve poured into me. They set me up for success in the future.”