CENTRALIA, Ill. – There has been a dramatic drop in welders across the United States, yet the need only seems to be growing. FOX 2’s Kalista Mitrisin says its one small community college in Centralia, Illinois, is changing and diversifying the demographic of future welders.

“A 300% increase in student welders here at Kaskaskia Community College is something they only hope to expand,” welding student Zoey Cook said. “Starting off in it, you feel intimidated because it is a male-dominated industry.”

That sizzling sound of sparks is completely reinventing the welding industry and its starting at one small community college in Centralia, Illinois.

“Once I started doing it, I really enjoyed it, and I decided that’s what I want to do for a career,” Cook revealed.

Apart from the school’s 2-year welding program, the site of long hair behind the helmet, is only expanding.

“When I came in, we had about one female welder per class,” Cory Wellen, associate professor of welding at Kaskaskia, shared. “It jumped up to where you’d have about five or six females through the program at the same time.”

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Broadening the baseline hasn’t just helped the normalization of metal components; it has changed the dynamic.

“I realized the guys aren’t as hard on you as you’d think they’d be,” welding student Madelyn Santel said.

Associate Professor Wellen says that they could even learn some things from the girls.

“They got a steadier hand; some of the little tips they pick up quicker.”

For Madeline Santel, pressure and pulsation weren’t the solidified seam she’d foreseen, but for the last year, it was the tug, or tig, she’s been looking for.

“It’s whenever you have the torch in one hand with your tungsten and you have the filler metal in your other hand,” Cook said. “I personally like stick welding a lot more.”

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Santel added, “Have an open mind to it; whenever I was younger, I never pictured myself doing something like this.”

It’s open-mindedness that helps to fill a progressive problem in the industry.

“They’re needing people and they can’t fill the spots,” Cook expressed.

The American Welding Society predicts the need for welders will jump by 25,000 in 2024, leaving 400,000 welding positions across the U.S. vacant.

When expressing her time, Cook added, “It is definitely something that I feel proud of, because at some points its a lot harder than people would think it would be.”

Associate professor Wellen detailed, “We’re training their workforce, from the local unions to the companies here in the state, in town, and in the district.”

For Santel, it’s the opportunity that’s helping her.

“I would have had to pay out of pocket; its not something my parents would have helped me with,” Santel said.

According to the Missouri Economic Research Center, the need in the state is only expected to increase over the next few years. Thanks to the help at Kaskaskia, the next generation of welders is ready for the challenge.

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