Great Bay Community College welding technologies student working in the college’s new welding lab. (Photo courtesy of GBCC)
In March, students enrolled in the Welding Technologies certificate program at Great Bay Community College (GBCC) in Portsmouth were welcomed into the new 3,500- square-foot welding lab at the college’s Pease Tradeport campus in Portsmouth.
“We began making plans in 2024 to expand our capacity for the Welding Technologies program to meet strong demand for skilled welders from area employers and are very excited that our students now have this amazing new learning environment,” says Dr. Cheryl Lesser, president of GBCC.
Previously, GBCC’s Welding program operated out of leased space in Rochester. The new facility was built to maximize air quality and sound suppression to ensure a safe, comfortable learning and teaching environment.
The new lab features 18 welding stations and a range of new equipment, including Miller Dynasty 300 Multi-Process Welders, a W-60-20 Straight Pipe Cutter, a broad range of pipe holding fixtures and a new Piranha tungsten grinding unit that provides complete containment of excess tungsten electrode dust.
“The new equipment has significantly enhanced our ability to teach more students in-demand skills such as plasma torch cutting and carbon arc gouging,” says Paul Guiliano, GBCC’s Welding Technology program coordinator. “And in the future, we will add short-term training options.”
The Welding Technology program teaches students how to set up and use welding equipment to complete the five major welding processes— MIG, TIG, Stick, Oxy-Fuel, and Plasma—as well as many auxiliary processes. The curriculum also incorporates welding theory, blueprint reading, electricity, and fabrication techniques. Students attend evening classes over three consecutive semesters and are prepared for the American Welding Society (AWS) certification testing that is required by most employers.
AWS projects that 320,500 more welders will be needed by 2029 in response to high demand and vacancies left by retiring workers. The growing manufacturing sector in NH’s Seacoast Region has fueled particularly high demand for skilled welders in the region and created a strong job market for Welding Technology program graduates.
The Welding Technology program credits may also be applied toward an associate degree in Technical Studies at GBCC. The Early College program offering dual high school and college credit offers another opportunity to reduce the cost and time to completion for a post-secondary certificate or degree. Students at many of the Seacoast’s high schools may attend Welding Technology and general education classes through this program.