Great news for anyone who cares about an uptick in skilled labor for eastern Idaho:
College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) and Premier Technology, Inc. are teaming up to develop and test a new competency-based modularized training program to meet the high demand for skilled welders.
CEI has long been known to produce high-quality welders through its Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Welding degree, and area employers clamor to hire students from this program. The challenge for the companies that are desperate to hire skilled welders is that the number of AAS welders CEI can produce annually is a drop in the bucket compared to needs in the region.
“What we really need are welders with specialized, demonstrated skills with the ability to perform at the high level of quality and specifications required by our customers, and we need them right now, not in 2-4 years,” said Shelly Sayer, Chief Executive Officer of Premier Technology, Inc. in Blackfoot. Nearly every welding employer in the region echoes this need.
Premier alone needs to hire 150-200 welders in the next two years to support their current manufacturing contracts. According to Hope Morrow, Regional Economist for the Idaho Department of Labor, there are currently over 750 welding related jobs in Eastern Idaho and the field is growing.
Beginning in fall 2018, CEI has plans to expand this competency-based welding program into open enrollment courses, allowing any individual or regional employer to develop specific welding skills through this modularized training.
Source: College of Eastern Idaho