Westwood Welding

Westwood High School
300 Westwood Dr
Ishpeming, MI 49849

Instructors: John Jessen

Career Focus

Prepared for immediate employment, apprenticeship opportunities, advanced certifications, and further education

Details

The welding program prepares students for entry level job skills in the welding field or participation in a community or technical college program. The instructional format is “self-paced,” allowing students to progress at their own speed.

Instruction is provided in:

Safety
Cutting and bending steel
Shielded metal arc welding (stick)
Gas metal arc welding (wire feed / MIG)
Flux Cored arc welding (wire feed)
Gas tungsten arc welding (TIG)
Oxyacetylene torch cutting
Project layout and construction
Daily maintenance of shop and equipment
Employability skills

Students are required to complete welding and cutting operations, a required project and one project of their own choosing. Time in this class is split between lecture and hands-on activities. Students also receive an introduction to basic machining principles, including foundational work on the mill and lathe.

This class is typically available to students in grades 10 - 12.

Resources

Industrial Maintenance Technology HS-College Plan (PDF)

Links

“This class gives us an opportunity [to] have a head start over other people. When I enlist in the Marines I hope to weld on Humvees and other equipment.”

Nathan M., Westwood HS
Welding Student

“We’ve done small projects. This year we also built a tow behind trailer for a side by side. The students designed it and built it.”

John Jessen, Westwood HS
Welding Teacher

How to Get Started

High School Credit

Students should inquire within their guidance office about high school curriculum requirements that may be satisfied through a CTE class, as this is determined individually by school district.

College Credit

College credit(s) possible

Students can earn up to 11 college credits from NMU
Students must earn a grade of 90% or better and be recommended by the instructor
Each college reserves the right to set its own credit-granting policy
Contact your college(s) to find out the score it requires to grant credit, the number of credit hours granted, and the course(s) that can be bypassed with a satisfactory score

NMU courses satisfied:

WD 140 - Intro to Welding - NMU Credits Granted 4

WD 180 - Multi-Positional Welding - NMU Credits Granted 4

IM 110 - Industrial Measurement & Fabrication - NMU Credits Granted 3

National College Credit Recommendation (Test required)

Students have the potential of earning college credits by scoring 70% or better on the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) assessment for Welding
Test is administered in the classroom during mid-spring semester
Over 1,500 colleges and universities accept NOCTI credit recommendations

Industry Certification

Industry-recognized Certification

10-hour OSHA General Industry Safety Certificate*
American Welding Society (AWS) certifications are pending availability of certified examiner*

*Credentials are nationally recognized, portable and stackable, which means students have the option of attaining more advanced credentials in the future