Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools – Welding Program Expansion Our Students. Our Community. Our Future.
Request Summary Westside Community Schools (WCS) requests individuals, corporations and foundations to support the expansion of its welding program within Westside High School. Funds will be used to (1) expand the current welding lab from 1,200 square feet to 2,450 square feet, accommodating enhanced learning opportunities and growth; (2) address essential safety updates in the welding lab design and configuration; and (3) support increased dual credit opportunities for students. Collectively, the project will help meet the growing demand for highly skilled prepared workers for careers in the region’s growing manufacturing industry. History of Westside High School’s Welding Program Westside Community Schools’ distinguished welding program dates back to the 1950s, and over the past 60 years it has established a long and proud history as a regional leader in preparing students for successful careers in welding. This history includes the proud distinction of being the first welding program in the state of Nebraska (in 1998) to offer dual credit courses in welding (i.e., coursework satisfying both high school and college graduation requirements). Today, the need for a skilled welding workforce is as great as it was in 1950 when WCS’ welding program was first established. WCS’ welding program maintains strong relationships with Metropolitan Community College (MCC) and local industry to maintain a strong continuum of educational experiences in welding and related careers. The Need for Expansion The proposed expansion of the welding laboratory will address several urgent needs benefitting Westside’s welding program and other welding training providers within the region (e.g., Metropolitan Community College) as well as local employers who will rely on the skilled welding workforce to be better prepared through the new, enhanced welding laboratory. As mentioned, the current welding classroom at Westside is comprised of 1,200 square feet and twenty (20) welding stations. The present space and current number of welding stations is inadequate given the demand for these courses, space required to perform welding tasks, and for the rigor and industry requirements. In any given year, Westside has up to 220 students enroll in the welding program. For the current 2016-17 school year, a total of 200 students have taken or will take, a welding course with approximately 50 of these students dually-enrolled with MCC. Additionally, another 3-5 students per year travel to MCC Fort Omaha Campus for the Welding Academy. Welding Academy is an on campus advanced high school welding program. The expansion of the Westside Welding program would help to ensure that a larger number of interested students are able to successfully enroll and take welding courses, ensuring the 40-60
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
students we lose to schedule conflicts have the opportunity to receive exposure to, and training in, welding. Further, each year there are several WCS students who want to get into a specific section of welding and are unable due to course enrollment caps resulting largely from insufficient instructional space. This number varies by semester. Westside does not have the exact number annually affected by these caps because rather than enter a waiting list, students are instead placed into other courses. While some students pursue the courses in future academic terms, the program does lose students because of limited space. The proposed expansion will increase the current welding area from 1,200 square feet to 2,450 square feet. The new space will provide a flexible classroom environment that accommodates lecture, group work, fabrication activities, storage for gases, and the addition of eight (8) welding units. The new and renovated addition will be situated at the southwest end of the high school campus. The new expanded space will benefit WCS and Metropolitan Community College (MCC) students by offering additional teaching space at a central Omaha location for current and prospective students. Westside’s industry-certified welding program will also expand throughout the community to offer outreach programs that will assist in building a pipeline of students interested in learning about, and going into, the welding industry. The benefits of expanding the welding program are numerous and will make an immediate impact on how welding students are introduced to the industry and, most importantly, learn welding at the highest level available at both WCS and MCC. As part of an expanded effort to increase the welding pipeline, the project will also seek to increase the number of WCS students who pursue dual enrollment and postsecondary courses in welding. Presently, 85% (approx.) of Westside’s welding students take postsecondary coursework. However, the cost of taking a dual enrollment course increases on an annual basis. While Metropolitan Community College does offer discounted tuition for high school students (i.e., $50 for a 4-credit course), students are required to pay this fee and for some students, the cost is a barrier to additional training and education in welding. A small portion of funds from the project will be used to cover the cost of dual credit welding courses for students – to further mitigate any barriers to a welding career and to provide a small incentive to students who may have an interest in welding. Courses currently offered as dual credit include Oxygen Acetylene Welding, Shielded Metal Arc Welding and Gas Metal Arc Welding. Upon the completion of the expansion project, WCS plans to offer Tungsten Inert Gas Welding and Fabrication. Dual enrollment is open to second semester freshman through seniors. Impact of the Welding Expansion Project
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
According to the Nebraska Department of Labor’s Office of Labor Market Information, the need for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers will increase significantly between 2012 and 2022. In fact, job growth in these occupations is anticipated to increase statewide by 9.31 percent making it one of the highest growing job fields during the ten-year period. In the Omaha region, the need is even greater with growth of 12.2 percent projected. Welding is also a key occupation to the regional economy and the State of Nebraska has designated welders, cutters, solderers and brazers as one of eleven industries as a Top H3 (high-wage, high skill, high growth) occupation. The proposed expansion project will meet the need for a growing welding workforce while supporting local interest and demand among students for welding education. Specific benefits of the new welding laboratory include: • The addition of 1,250 square feet, with approximately 500 square feet of renovated space in the existing space, will total 2,450 square feet for the welding shop. This will accommodate new and expanded course offerings including three (3) industry-certified welding dual enrollment courses offered (serving 12-20 students per class). It will include the addition of eight (8) new welding units allowing each student his/her own welding station. The new expanded space will also support the integration of new processes into current welding coursework. This includes the integration of larger material into class projects. While welders regularly work with larger materials, current space limitations do not presently allow for the development of this important skill in Westside’s welding program. •
Dedicated space for necessary equipment and state of the art equipment. Currently, the existing welding classroom does not house standard manufacturing and welding equipment (and related processes such as CNC cutting, tooling and machining) because of lack of space. The new classroom will have space available for the equipment, ensuring students have full access and exposure to the equipment used within the welding workplace.
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Expanded coursework and training through Metropolitan Community College. Through this partnership, the lab would support welding courses offered through Metropolitan Community College during after school hours. This would serve up to 72 MCC students per week (or 12 students per course and 6 courses). Through this arrangement, MCC welding teachers and students would have access to the state of the art equipment, expanded course options, locations and flexibility for those interested in welding similar class structure currently offered on campus at MCC.
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Enhanced community outreach. The new facility would also have the potential to support a range of community training projects offered in partnership with local industry, associations and education. This may include workshops on new products and processes, customized job training, and professional development for welding and trades teachers.
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion •
Promotion of welding careers. In addition to the opportunities detailed here, the project will also seek to promote careers in welding and related occupations. This may include summer camps and tours offered in partnerships with local nonprofit agencies such as Boys and Girls Club and Avenue Scholars. It can also be used to provide career exposure and exploration events and programming.
Budget and Timeline The total cost of the Westside Welding Program Expansion Project is $916,210. The project consists of expenses needed for the demolition and construction of the new classroom, additional equipment and supplies ($141,970), as well as costs for community outreach and student dual enrollment fees ($55,000). The goal is to be completed with fundraising by end of Fall of 2017 with the expansion project open for classroom instruction for the Fall of 2018 semester. The supporters of the Westside Welding Program Expansion Project will be true partners within our program. The companies supporting this expansion will be front and center to the students and will have direct access in promoting career and industry opportunities. To support the Westside Welding Expansion Project, please contact Terry Hanna at the Westside Foundation: Terry Hanna Westside House 1101 South 90th Street Omaha, NE 68124-1201 402-660-0607 hanna.terry@westside66.net
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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Westside High School’s Welding Program Expansion
Westside Community Schools
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