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Evan Timpa of Pelham officially accepts an apprenticeship with ProcessBarron during an Apprenticeship Signing Day event at Jefferson State on Wednesday, Dec. 7. (Contributed)

New apprentices at ProcessBarron include Brandon Smith, Devin Phillips, Noah Graham and Evan Timpa. (Contributed)

New apprentices at Steward Machine Co. include Edwin Quintana and Lucas Jennings. (Contributed)

Noah Scott accepted at apprenticeship at TASSCO. (Contributed)

New apprentices at AHR Metals Inc. include Andrew Allen, Sean Jennings and Omar Sosa-Hernandez. (Contributed)

FROM STAFF REPORTS

HOOVER – Ten students in Jefferson State’s Welding Technology program accepted apprenticeships during a Welding Apprenticeships signing day ceremony.

The event was held on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the Welding Center on the Shelby-Hoover campus.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Jefferson State,” said Kristen Holder, project manager with the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, in an official press release. “You have a fabulous set of people that want to support you along with so many different employers in the room. So, I want to say congratulations. Know that you have these folks who are your advocates as well as the state—we are there to make sure you are successful throughout your program.”

Apprenticeship programs are an industry-given, high-quality career pathway in which an individual can obtain paid work experience, class room instruction, mentorship and a nationally-recognized portable credential. Salaries are earned as apprentices learn, working full-time at an employer company and as they attend classes toward a degree or certificate.

The students who officially accepted apprenticeship offers on Dec. 7 included:

• Andrew Allen of Helena, AHR Metals Inc.
• Noah Graham of Alabaster, ProcessBarron
• Lucas Jennings of Alabaster, Steward Machine Company
• Sean Jennings of Hoover, AHR Metals Inc.
• Devin Phillips of Childersburg, ProcessBarron
• Edwin Quintana of Pelham, Steward Machine Company
• Noah Scott of Calera, TASSCO
• Brandon Smith of Alabaster, ProcessBarron
• Omar Sosa-Hernandez of Pelham, AHR Metals Inc.
• Evan Timpa of Pelham, ProcessBarron

Representatives from each of the companies participating in the apprenticeships were present at the ceremony to congratulate the students on this important step in their careers.

Apprenticeships are beneficial for the students, employers, college—and ultimately communities as workforce needs are addressed, Welding Instructor Brody Scott said.

“It’s a perfect match for those things to come together,” Scott said. “There were a lot of people who worked in the background for a long time to get this going. As a community college, we look forward to building these partnerships.”

The Welding Technology Certificate & AAS Degree program option allows students to earn industry-recognized welding certificates issued through the National Construction Center for Education & Research welding curriculum.

Those who wish to learn more about Jefferson State’s Welding Technology program and apprenticeships can visit Jeffersonstate.edu/welding.

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