LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Who cares about welding students these days?

Published 6:03 am Thursday, February 29, 2024

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Who cares about welding students these days? In short, I do. Southwestern Michigan College in Niles needs more Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW) machines for its students. With only six machines and about 20 students per class, there simply aren’t enough machines to go around. Having more welding machines would allow students more experience in the lab, increase efficiency during class hours, and encourage more students to choose the welding program at SMC. It’s an amazing college with a nice campus.

Although resources abound at the school, the tech building itself is severely lacking the needed number of FCAW machines. We appreciate the adequate number of Gas Metal Arc Welding, Shielded Metal Arc Welding, and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding machines; however, we desperately need more FCAW machines in the lab. Having more machines would make a drastic impact on the learning experience of welding students at SMC in Niles.

Megan Bryant

Niles