Contact:
Award information: Tana Stenseng, 360.664.4232, tstenseng@wtb.wa.gov
Program information: Satpal Sidhu or Patricia McKeown, 360.752.8323
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Round Them Up - It's Welding Rodeo Time  (2 Minute video)



Photo caption:
L-R bottom row: Don Anderson, Bellingham Technical College; Governor Christine Gregoire, Satpal Sidhu, Bellingham Technical College;

L-R top row: Scott Vinish, BP; Dick Nord, NW Workforce Development Council; Mark Asmundson, Bellingham Mayor; Workforce Board Executive Director Ellen O'Brien Saunders, and Gerald Pumphrey, President, Bellingham Technical College at the Best Practices awards ceremony.


SPOKANE--- October 26, 2005: How do you interest students in welding, keep instructors up-to-date on the latest standards, or fill the vacancies that exist because there aren't enough highly qualified welders? That was the challenge facing a number of industries in northwest Washington. For their solution-a welding rodeo and a welding boot camp-Bellingham Technical College and its partners (BP Cherry Point Refinery, Central Welding Supplies, and the Northwest Workforce Development Council) today received a Governor's Award for Best Practices in Workforce Development. Governor Christine Gregoire presented the award at a leadership conference sponsored by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board).

"Innovation is the catalyst for economic development. If we cannot provide the talent that our growing industries need, we know that our competitors will. We need to honor and recognize those best practices that build our economy and our future workforce. Today, our competition comes not only from the company across the street, but also from the company across the ocean. Strength and diversity in the workforce are paramount to our success. That success is built on best practices," said Governor Gregoire.

Keeping up with the increasing need for certified welders is a challenge, the Governor explained, as there are more jobs than the colleges can fill. High schools are discontinuing many trade programs. Faculty, who would like to introduce students to welding, rarely are certified welders and consequently are challenged by the standards of this profession. Added to these challenge is a public that generally does not realize the career opportunities for welders or understand what the profession does and the skills and metallurgy theory required.

Bellingham Technical College came up with two solutions: the Welding Instructors' Boot Camp and The Welding Rodeo. The Boot Camp is part an overall high school faculty skill upgrade institute. It enables high school faculty to learn industry standards and find out more about career opportunities. It also helps them develop welding curriculum so that high school students can jump start their welding education with college credit through Tech-Prep.

The Welding Rodeo is much like a cattle rodeo. It has competitions, prizes, vendor shows, and offers fun for everyone. The Welding Advisory Committee is a major supporter of the event, and local industry is highly involved as sponsors and participants. This year's rodeo attracted 22 four-member welding teams from state high schools, two-year colleges, and professional welders, as well as a welding faculty team from Denmark! More than 1,500 members of the general public came to watch the competitions, the highlight of which was a sculpture competition (six hours from scrap pile to completed project). These sculptures were later auctioned for scholarships and to support the annual event.

"Those who resolved their challenge with resolve, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation," said Ellen O'Brien Saunders, Executive Director, Workforce Board, "are the leaders in our communities-the ones Governor Gregoire has honored with a Best Practice Award. Their initiative can be the impetus for others to build a workforce system that works, not only in their area and for their citizens, but for the entire state."

The Governor's Awards for Best Practices in Workforce Development are presented annually. This year, the Workforce Board received 22 nominations from workforce development councils around the state and its own board members. A committee reviewed the nominations and selected six Best Practices.