The Brownwood Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) approved funding on Tuesday to help launch a new pilot welding program through Texas State Technical College (TSTC) in an effort to bring more jobs to local employers.

A new concept for fast track welding training has been developed by TSTC, in coordination with local employers, Ranger College, and the Brownwood, Early and Brady Economic Development Corporations.  The training will leverage the “Jobs in Texas” grant for $279,000 which will pay for a mobile welding lab and equipment.  The pilot program will be implemented at Loadcraft’s Early location to train new welders while earning the trainee a wage for time on the production floor.

“This program that we are talking about today is 8 machines that we will put at the Early plant and our plan is that we will pay people,” said James Simmons, Loadcraft’s VP of Human Resources. “We want to pay them for their time.”

The course will be 6 weeks long and will provide an industry certificate issued by the company and a TSTC transcript.  Training is set to begin immediately, and four classes of eight are planned, making a total of 32 welders trained.  The training will be at no cost to the student.

In addition to the TSTC grant money for the program, the BEDC approved up to $40,000 to help implement the program at their board meeting on Tuesday.  This will include $31,500 directly for the program and an additional $1000 per employee trained to work in the Loadcraft facility in Brownwood.

Loadcraft is contributing $85,740 to the program while the Early EDC is funding $52,992 in addition to the grant funds and BEDC funding.

Officials state that there is a severe shortage of welders in the area, and a program like this can be replicated at other companies to help fill those positions.

“We are starving for welders,” Simmons said. “We are looking at automating some processes, but today we need people that can weld.”

According to the BEDC briefing sheet, the training model includes the following “new” approaches:

• Instructor is employee of local company. This ensures that employer-specific technique and skills are taught.
• Training takes place on-site of company.  This gives students a real-world experience and feel for the company’s culture and environment.
• Combination of lab training and on the job training.  Wages will be paid by the company for the portion of time they are on the production floor (184 hours at $10/hr.).
• “Finders fees” will be paid to company employees for new welders.  A fee will be paid to the “finder” when a student is accepted into the program, and again, if the new welder stays on the job with the local company for two months after full-time employment.