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Welding instructors are shaping the future. Year after year, instructors educate students who will later enter the workforce and help build things we rely on to make the world go round. It’s an important job that doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. Aside from accolades, instructors may not have the opportunity to receive the type of continuing education they would benefit from either.
Much like any other field, continuing education is a crucial part of the job for welding instructors. Not only does it provide updated information on the latest advances in the industry, it’s also an opportunity for instructors to gain fresh perspective and challenge the way they’ve always thought about the welding process.
So what does education look like to those who are accustomed to standing on the other side of the classroom? Sometimes it starts with unlearning things that you may have always believed to be true. Although you should never be asked to change your thinking just because someone disagrees with the traditional ways of doing things. There should be a good reason to challenge your beliefs if real data, clear supporting evidence and concrete examples of these newer theories result in success.
For more than a decade, Airgas has studied more than 2,500 welding operations with a focus on gathering data and analyzing it to develop best practices that drive continuous improvement. The program, Unlocking the Hidden Cost of Welding™, is based around understanding the economics of welding and everything in between. Over the last few years, companies who have implemented practices from Unlocking the Hidden Cost of Welding averaged a 48% gas reduction and a 35% reduction in consumables. On average, these businesses have reduced waste and improved productivity by 20—40% with little or no capital investment.
This information is just as valuable to manufacturing businesses as it is to welding educators. Educators are often the first to have an impact on why a welder does things the way that they do. The earlier we start to train welders with a mindset on the importance of quality, the better the state of the industry becomes for everyone.
If you’re a welding educator, consider signing up for a special Unlocking the Hidden Cost of Welding for educators program. With 10 Advanced Fabrication application centers across the U.S., our experts can offer training programs that fit your specific needs. Here are some of the topics we cover:
Airgas is one of the nation’s leading single-source suppliers of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, plus equipment and welding and safety supplies.
