Marshall touts 100% Job Placement with
OCC Welding and Cutting Program
Olney Central College
Welding and Cutting program
instructor Curtis Marshall
says job placement for
his students is at 100%.
Marshall is a certified
welding instructor, completing
his fifth year of instruction
at the college.
He said, “We prepare students
to get welding positions
whether it be power
plants, refineries, manufacturing
facilities, oil field …
We do the same weld test
in the OCC welding program
that students will see
out in real life.”
Students graduate with
a dynamic skill set that
opens them up to a variety
of job opportunities with
employers who seek specialized
skills.
Marshall said, “We offer
twenty-six different joint
configurations for structural
welders and pipe welders.
Each one of those is a different
weld test, and they
will get a piece of paper indicating
that they passed
that particular test.”
The average age of employed
welders is currently
57-58 years old. As this
workforce enters retirement
the demand for welders increases.
According to Marshall,
job opportunities are already
abundant. He said,
“With my program, there’s
100% job placement. There
are tens of thousands of
jobs all across our country.”
“I work with a lot of the
local unions and non-union
companies to place my students.
My top priority out
here is to get these students
in a job that is going to be
more of a career, and have
very high success rates doing
that every year.”
The instructor touts the
welding program for having
an excellent return on an
investment, explaining that
the one year program can
lead graduates to jobs that
generate an income around
$50,000 in their first year
of work.
The low student to
teacher ratio (approximately
15 to 1) in the OCC program
allows students to get a
tremendous amount of
hands-on experience doing
fabrication, mechanical cutting,
and thermal cutting.
Students hone cutting skills
and learn to fabricate precise
items. Graduates complete
the program with numerous
certifications and
a variety of specialized skills
sets - opening them up to a
broad spectrum of opportunity
in the field.
Marshall said, “If you
wanted to be in inspection
field and test pipelines or
do different weld testing,
that’s something you are
capable of doing with
knowledge with this program.
There’s opportunities
in sales too. Students could
sign up for boiler makers,
pipe fitters, or irons unions.”
Marshall sends students
to Virginia or Wisconsin
each year to help build ships
with the U.S. Navy. This is
just one example of myriad
experiential opportunities
available through the program.
Marshall expressed gratitude
to the OCC Foundation
for supporting the
welding and cutting program,
stating that the financial
support has helped
them acquire equipment
and make a difference in
the quality of the program
and the students’ experience.
The foundation recently
assisted with the purchase
of a tubing bender which
enables students to fabricate
different tubing projects,
such as roll cages and motorcycle
frames, and any
other project that requires
bending tubing to precise
angles.
“This allows students
more hands-on experience
for what they will see in
the field,” Marshall said.
The instructor invites
anyone interested in the
program to visit the shop.
He said, “I’ll give you a tour
and talk to you about the
welding trade.”
For more information
on the program visit
www.iecc.edu.