There’s nothing like hands-on experience, and there’s nothing like hands-on training for young people—especially when it comes to welding steel, a unique skill requiring certifications and many hours to master. Still more of an art than a science, welding is a necessary skill that trade schools teach and Zimmerman Steel in Ohio has been offering through a unique internship program. It’s an opportunity to learn welding on site, taught by people who have their AWS D1.1 and D1.5 [bridge specialty] welding certification who have been on the job and in the field for years.
The program will be expanding to include more students from the local trade school—The R. G. Drage vocational school—drawing on its attendees who are already looking to be welders and fabricators. As the program grows, Zimmerman hopes to accommodate local youths with before and after school shifts as they build their skills and on-site work experience.
“It’s a win-win,” says Dave Zimmerman “and I look forward to watching the students grow and expand and even train some future employees and team members.” Either way, interns will learn a valuable skill at a great company—taught by seasoned artisans who will help galvanize their future, mutually designed and forged by common goals as they unlock possibilities together.
