Hi Eric,
I'll be starting school soon but I already have spoken with the dean and advisor of applied sciences. The impression I get is that the colleges often hear from local employers about jobs they have coming up that would be good for us newbies ;) Have you spoken to any of your instructors about local jobs? Have you approached any of those companies? Is there a 'job board' in the area of your welding classes? Maybe you could make an appointment with your advisor to talk about it too. Just some ideas.