High School Welding Competition & Open House at Western
Western Wyoming Community College’s Welding program will host their annual Percy Hadley High School Welding Competition on Friday April 29 from 8AM to 5PM. Eight high schools are competing in this year’s event from the following communities: Rock Springs; Green River; Big Piney; Saratoga; Rawlins; Evanston; Farson; and Star Valley.
Students compete by demonstrating their skill in oxy fuel cutting and shielded metal arc welding by building a small project. Students must also complete a 100-question written exam. Scholarships will be awarded to the top three winners; first place is $1250, second place is $1000, and third place is $500.
“We are excited to bring this competition back with a bang and look forward to building Wyoming’s workforce for future needs,” states Jake Mannikko, Welding Professor at Western.
In addition, the Welding Department will be hosting their first Welding Rig Show & Shine contest in conjunction with the Percy Hadley High School Welding competition. Around twenty-five rigs will be competing in three classes: work horse; slick rig; and a people’s choice. Proceeds from the companies’ $50 entry fee will go to the Western Welding Program SkillsUSA chapter. Public donations can be made by visiting our Foundation giving page: westernwyoming.edu/giving.
The current Welding Fabrication Team at Western recently competed at the SkillsUSA state championship on April 11 and 12. Students Andrew Nicholson, Aaron Ortiz, and Korbin Serano competed in the post-secondary fabrication contest where they took 1st place! The students wrote a welding procedure specification and submitted a schematic of the project, followed by a 6-hour practical building of the project that was a wall tent wood stove. The students head to SkillsUSA Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia on June 20 to compete.
The Percy Hadley Welding Competition is open to the public and free admission. Tours will be available for the Manufacturing, Innovation and Technology wing of the College. This building is located on the south side of campus near the water tower. Corman’s Kettle Corn, Chill Out Ice Cream and Carl’s BBQ food trucks will be on site for the event. Local vendors will have tables for the public to obtain information: Rocky Mountain Air Solutions; ESAB; Lincoln Electric; Air Gas; and Praxir.
For general information regarding the event, contact Jake Mannikko at 307-389-9772. To learn more about Western’s Welding program visit their website page westernwyoming.edu/welding.