Hello Lawrence, I believe Waccobird, hit the nail on the head. In our area they have instituted those very same programs. In most cases these things come along when they have a group of people that they are trying to serve within the constraints of a short window. Possibly a large company has downsized, shutdown, or otherwise left a large number of folks out of work. In a case like this there might be a demand in another area/craft/trade for a number of individuals.
So, the school decides that they can serve this need by coming up with a group of classes to provide possible entry-level trainees to answer this need. I am not particularly in favor of these sorts of endeavors as they generally produce undertrained individuals lacking in the necessary skills and they also tend to misrepresent the students capabilities. In many cases, schools that follow these sorts of programs are doing so due to state "suggestions/demands" and aren't necessarily serving the best interests of the students or the industry.
But...... that money is available and needs to be spent or it will be lost. As far as your welding program goes and it's part in this scenario, I generally find that it tends to discredit your program. Afterall, I went to such and such school and that's what they taught me. The person that hears this doesn't have the full story and may never know that you have a terrrific program and one individual doesn't represent your school accurately. Just a few cents from me. Best regards, Allan
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