The Never-Ending Welder Shortage

For our last big shipbuilding project, We ended up getting a lot of welders from Ireland and the UK.

The root of the problem is the educational system here in the west. When people choose a career, too many chose "psychology" or "business management" with the unreal prospect of finishing school and walking into a "boss" position.

You are a young person, your choice:

1. go to university for 4 or 5 years and party, get a degree and become a "boss" with a high profile name and get payed $50.000, or

2. go to university (or college) for 4 or 5 years, work your a#&* off to learn a technical skill and work for the person that partied for the same time and get payed $ 50.000

Which one do you chose?

The cure is to pay the skilled person more, and make the technical and skilled courses sponsored by industry. The little you pay for a students education will be nothing compared to the escalating costs of a diminishing resource.

Thanks for you comment, techno. You've raised some good issues here.

Now I'm going to stir the pot more with my take on things.

College isn't for everyone, but it's become a kind of commodity here in the U.S. Those who want a higher education should have the opportunity to get one, but not everyone belongs in college.

If the goal is a good-paying job, then what's wrong with becoming a plumber, an electrician, or a welder? Most of the ones I know make more money than a lot of college graduates.

True. In my school days, whoever took shop learn't the basics in welding etc. Later it was dropped due to cut-backs. (big mistake)

As with everything else here, there is no problem, just a perceived class difference.

In other words Hollywood has not made it glamorous as being a doctor, lawyer, cop, rock star, or gangster.

The problem I have with all of it is, No one wants to hire you when you have reached the point I have. I am 44 years old and have been working in the printing industry as first a printer then mechanic and now a manager. To go anywhere else I have to have a degree in engineering.

Now I'm all for degreed people when they are first starting out, but I have 25 years at doing what I do now and can't move anywhere else because I don't have a degree.

Kind of a catch 22 I am more expierenced in practical use of engineering than a person with a bachelors but not qualified because I don't have that little piece of paper.

Go figure.

Yeah, time to rant.

That is the same everywhere. The people with degrees "empire build" and protect their non working positions from qualified people who know what they are doing. They have put in place rules and regulations and even got laws passed (with kick backs) to protect their incompetence.

They Know they cant compete with real skill, experience and knowledge.

The only way around it is to start your own business.

I have been think about doing that very thing!

We have had some stupid ideas from our UK government...Like they want more than 50% of people to go to university.

Or to put it into perspective...they want more than half the people to be above average intelligence.....D'uh? Think about it!

Basically it just devalues further education by giving hopeless oiks degrees in 'media studies' and 'business management'.

They also feed you the twaddle about a degree just showing that you have the ability to study at that level, therefore the subject is irrelevant. We are in danger of running out of good scientists and engineers...'cos it's too hard!

The health and sfety issues don't help...what school would risk teaching welding as a vocational course?

To be fair, they have introduced some science into the national curriculum. However most lower school teachers are female who historically tend to have less scientific and mechanical experience/aptitude (please no accusations of sexism...it's an observation).

We tend to hammer the scientific curiosity out of kids instead of nurturing it.

Wow did I type all that? Can I have a degree in media and communications then please?

I went to the local college asking to be trained as a welder. They asked my experience which is welding my own car for its MOT. I was told I'd be wasting my time, as that was better than they taught!

Welders need certificates, so where do you get them?

We send our guys to the local college, trouble is, we Tig weld 0.6 304, They say it can't be done..........

"They" are wonderful people: don't you just love proving them wrong? - At least this way your niche does not become crowded.

My only experience of MIGging SS (don't know which type) was making a roofrack from a disused tray slide from a cafe.

Techno,

Sounds like you're in the same industry as I am, marine.

Labor shortage is killing us. It pretty much started with the downfall of US shipbuilding as a result of the collapse of the merchant marine (my calling). Not many big shipyards to cull workers from and which, as many industries, produce succeeding generations of trades people.

The result is the necessary hiring of those who are not proficient in their trades and have little or no experience in the industry, which is markedly different in nature compared to many others.

I think a part of the problem is that people are lead to believe that they are entitled to a certain standard of living generated by a certain standard of job. Hence, people, especially the young, seek a 'job' rather than seek 'work'.

It is definitely a 'class' distinction attitude prevalent today. Anyone who happens to get a bit dirty in the course of a good days work, must be on the lower tier of society. It's very sad, because all that is produced by the 'lower tier' is consumed, used and enjoyed by those looking down their noses.

The countries that do not have labour shortage Have successfully Integrated Industry with the educational system.

After a skills assessment before high school, Industry will sponsor a student, pay for their education in subjects that will benefit the company. The company then guarantees summer jobs until the student graduates, then guarantees a job on graduation.

The "Status" is no longer a position 'boss or worker", but the Name of the company that sponsored the student. The student has a future.

With Industry providing some of the funding, they now have a say on the curriculum.

Simple, you treat your workers like family instead of a commodity

If I was getting paid upward of $5,000 a month to weld I might have not have taken the job I have in the engineering dept. In Canada there are very few welders that actually make that much unless they are fortunate enough to have a GOOD union or be out in the oils and gas fields (and in that case they are spending a fortune on living costs).

As a skilled, and ticketed welder in all positions for stick, MIG, flux core, some pressure tickets and submerged arc, I was hard pressed to find a job that was paying more then $20/hr. So when I had the opportunity to move back to my original field of study in the engineering dept, work in an air conditioned office, sip coffee, working regular office hours for the same pay I took it.

Welding is still a love of mine if you can call it that. I think it is a real art... BUT it is also a hazardous career path. I have seen many of the "old timers" with shakes so bad from sucking back all those fumes all day long, their eyes shot from years of staring at an arc. While companies are becoming more safety conscious there are still substantial risk IMHO to make me be wary of having it as a life long career choice.

A benefit to it though is that no matter where you go, you can get a job as a welder. I have travelled all over Canada and every place I have gone I was able to get myself a welding job, most times in less then a week. Another benefit for me personally is that I had the hands on process experience, which has come in handy countless times in my job.

Good to hear from you, GroovyCBR. My father-in-law was a welder for almost 30 years. When I told him about this article, he wasn't surprised that more people didn't want to go into the trade. I haven't done any welding myself, but from the stories he tells me, it sounds like a tough business. You can end up welding snow plows in -20 F weather, or building tanks that become so black with smoke that you might as well suck down a pack of Camels (the unfiltered kind). I'm sure that there are better respirators and such since he retired, but as techno said in a previous comment - this isn't a glamorous profession. Still, it's one that is needed. My hat's off to anyone who takes it up.

Yeah you can wind up in some uncomfortable places welding, from extreme heat to extreeme cold.

I used to work for a company (Clemmer Tech.) where I was a tank fabricator. (Large storage tanks, most of the ones I did were 50,000-150,000 litres) and welding the inside seams was not my favourite part. Dark, just the light from your trouble light, dragging along with you your extension cord, welding cable and air supply line for your mask, and your remote on a cable for the rollers the tank was on. All the while laying down some very hot beads, with hot slag chunks getting under you :) It was about the worst part of the job.

It is rewarding though in it's own way to take some metal form it and have an end product. The magic of melting metal! :D

Health and safety has definately become more of a concern though. Any reputable company does all they can to keep their workers healthy and safe.

The only problem with this story of a shortage of welders is how it can be true. I live in atlantic canada and hear the same story all the time. But it's just not true. there is simply no work here for welders. I suspect it's the same in the USA. I, like others,have plenty of training and experience as a journeyman welder and welding technician but just simply can't find work. The question is not that there isn't enough skilled welders, but that there is no work for them. I've been a welder for 25 years and have been unemployed for 12 of those years. However, it is important to remain positive. Good luck to all my fellow welders.

Tom Sturgeon, newbrunswick canada

tom, sorry to hear your plight as a semi-employed welder. i have known many fine people from your neck of the woods. most of them are working here in the states as ironworkers. i've been a welder for almost forty years. except for the occasional layoff while i was an apprentice i haven't missed a day of work (besides six weeks paid vacation a year) in 28 years. like real estate the key to continued employment is location, location, location, regardless of the field of endevour.

Thanks for your advice on location. I guess that's the key. I guess it,s time to move. A lot of us here in atlantic canada stay here because of family commitments, but as a tradesman here its just impossible to survive. Its always been this way here. Even when I,ve worked, the pay has been really low, not really enough to live on. I like the american perspective, it seems to be so much more reasonable. In america, it seems like the society is more supportive of the common man. I like this idea. I think this way also. Thank you USA for your encouragement. Tom