Is there any research out there, or any intuition of the number of people graduating form tech/trade schools for welding to try and fill the widening demand gap? A quick google search produces hundreds of articles such as this one (
http://www.signalscv.com/section/434/article/101400/) outlining the (a) age gap and (b) the increased demand in the construction sector. Technical schools are beginning to increase seats however I have yet to find any actual numbers. Most articles are around a specific school, program, or city intiative.