Tulsa Welding School training skilled laborers in Irving
IRVING (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Demand for skilled trades are at an all-time high. So much so, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says about 700,000 job openings are available each year.
Skilled laborer jobs are tough work and it takes a special person to do so, which is why the demand is so high in a growing area, like Dallas/Fort Worth.
"By 2028, they are expecting a 2.4 million person shortage in the business of skilled trades," said Fred Webster with the Tulsa Welding School of Dallas admissions office. "This market is blowing up, growing, expanding...So we are providing students with the skills, knowledge and attitude to be able to fill those positions."
The Tulsa Welding School just opened its newest branch in Irving. It offers programs like welding, electrical technology, refrigeration technology and electrical line work.
Zach Taylor is one of the instructors in charge of teaching line work and says it's an intense boot camp.
"It's a 15-week program, entry level," he said. "It gives them all the info they need to get in the door of this industry."
Taylor says all students need in order to join a program is a high school diploma and some work ethic and those are the same requirements over in the welding program.
It's why some students say it is a perfect fit.
"I am a hands-on learner; I can't sit in a classroom and read books," ," said welding student London Skipper. "It's definitely for people who love hard work and love to use their hands."
The school already has about 170 students and is still enrolling, all with the hope of offering North Texans a pathway to a lifelong career.
