Curriculum & facilities

Welding technology

Curriculum and Instruction

The current curriculum and instruction of the Welding Technology program emphasizes the individual welding processes currently used in the welding industry. The faculty members of the program review and revise the curriculum, course content, and instructional methods in an on-going process on the basis of current industry demands, student success in welding-related fields, and Advisory Committee recommendations. Program-specific courses are up-to-date and appropriate to the welding industry, and are based on current industry standards and technology.

All textbooks and materials used in the Welding Technology program are current with industry standards and technology, and are personally evaluated and assessed for applicability by the faculty members of the Welding program before their use in the program.

Faculty members introduce students to a variety of welding processes in a logical and appropriate manner through classroom instruction, media, welding demonstrations, hands-on student participation in a lab setting, and testing. Students have the opportunity to become familiar and reach proficiency at a variety of specific welding processes through the use of all the equipment located in the Welding and metal Fabrication shop. The equipment used in the welding program is similar to equipment currently used in welding-related fields.

Facilities, Equipment, and Technology

The Welding Technology program is located at the main college campus in Auburn, Washington in a separate complex called Trades Technology (TT). Building B-600 is the location of a spacious state-of-the-art welding lab used for demonstrations by faculty members and student practice. Office spaces are adjacent to the welding shop with large viewing windows and are easily accessed by students as they move between the fully equiped classrooms and the welding shop. Portable hand-tools and equipment are stored in a uniquely accessible tool room on the shop floor near the offices. Two large classrooms are used for direct instruction, informative lectures, and viewing media recordings demonstrating welding and safety standards. A shared locker room allows for student storage across the hall from both men’s and women’s restrooms. This new facility features an efficient ventilation system, is well lighted, and showcases several robotic welding arms and a simulator. 

The welding lab features multiple booths for learning all phases and levels of welding on high-end industry standard equipment. Other equipment includes track burners, plasma cutters, industrial shear, grinding machines, horizontal band saw, chop saw, hydraulic press, oxy-acetylene radio-graph, tube bender, robotic welding arms, an ornamental metal bender as well as a large fabrication plate for large-scale welding and fabrication.

Current industry standards are utilized to teach a variety of welding technologies that include Gas-Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Shielded-Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Flux-Core Arc Welding (FCAW), Gas-Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), and Oxy-Acetylene. A large metal fabrication bay adjoins the Welding Technology program with the Machining and Manufacturing Tech facility.