KELSO — The clang of metal and torches slicing through steel reverberated through the Kelso High School welding laboratory as 35 students from across Southwest Washington competed Wednesday in the first in-person regional SkillsUSA welding competition since before the pandemic.
Deven Queen of Kelso High School, Cole LeCount of Evergreen High School and Joe Watson of Prairie High School in Vancouver took home first, second and third place respectively. The titles came with a certificate, a medal and a welding helmet for all three high school seniors.
“They give us a lot of opportunities to grow and learn the skills,” Queen said. “It’s also good that we get a lot of funding.”
Queen said he hopes to pursue welding with Longview-based JH Kelly, a regional industrial mechanical contractor. This marked Queen’s second welding competition, and he has been welding for about four years. He also takes related courses at Lower Columbia College, which offers high schoolers multiple career and technical education, or CTE, paths.
Through its partnerships with local industry heads, Kelso School District students can earn up to five welding certifications. The district has 70 CTE classes, seven of which are in-field.
Steve Mahitka, in his first year as a Kelso High School welding and CTE instructor, said about two months of planning went into the event. Kelso hosted 10 other schools from around the region to participate.
“We need a lot more kids in the trade,” Mahitka said. “The trades are important. Yes, I came from college, but the trades are hurting for people, and we need good quality people to go into … a great career.”
The American Welding Society reports that about 84,000 welding jobs open in the U.S. each year, projecting that by 2026 industries will need 336,000 new professionals. Of the 754,000 current professionals, about 9% of them are under 25.
Students were tested on several complex welding skills: accurate cuts and the ability to follow a blueprint using stick, MIG and TIG techniques.
Stick welding involves using an oblong electrode to fuse two metal pieces together through an electrical current. MIG welding uses a gas-shielded wire that feeds out constant voltage and directly heats the metal. TIG welding uses a handheld rod and a tungsten electrode — a rare metal element — with hot gas to melt and cut the metal.
Judges from local industries and LCC looked for work ethic, following industry codes, and how well students could match blueprints, said Cody Jones, a competition judge from JH Kelly. They examined builds for uniformity and precision but also for cracks or rough edges.
Jones said they want to nudge students into welding careers.
“What we look for is that desire to construct something, to build and design,” Jones said. “This program helps foster that.”
Kalama High School junior Haily Long said she got into welding “entirely by accident.” Long placed eighth in the last competition.
“It was a random hobby at first … then you research and learn you can make a lot of money,” Long said. “Mainly I stayed with it because it’s fun. I’ve made a lot of friends and get to travel a lot.”
Kelso High School junior Carter Huff said this was his first welding contest, where he could show off skills he absorbed from his grandfather and teachers.
“The first time I ever touched a welder was in my grandpa’s shop,” Huff said.
Industry sponsors included Air Gas, Central Welding, Hoffman Construction Company, CK Worldwide and several others.
Sydney Brown is a news reporter for The Daily News covering education and environmental issues in Cowlitz County.
