$50 Million Grant to Help Michigan Schools Boost Skilled Trades Instruction Students at 18 schools across Michigan will gain indemand skills using up-to-date equipment and training through a $50 million grant program, according to Gov. Rick Snyder. He recently announced the Michigan Economic Development Corp. approval of schools selected through the Community College Skilled Trades Equipment Program. “This serious investment — one of the largest of its kind in the country — will tap our top-notch community colleges and help new students and adults looking for new opportunities gain the skills sought by companies looking to grow and expand, creating more and better jobs in Michigan,” Snyder said. The colleges chosen to receive grants will also provide more than $21.5 million in matching funds. Welding is included in the program areas for the following schools selected to receive awards: Bay College, Grand Rapids Community College, Henry Ford College, Jackson College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kirtland Community College, Lansing Community College, Macomb Community College, Mott Community College, Muskegon Community College, Northwestern Michigan College, Washtenaw Community College, and West Shore Community College. “This grant program requires unprecedented collaboration among private-sector employers and local educators with focused support from state government. Together, we will be laying a foundation that benefits our businesses and better matches our residents with good-paying, in-demand jobs,” added Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Steve Arwood. American Torch Tip Co. Celebrates 75th Anniversary The American Torch Tip Co., Bradenton, Fla., recently reached a milestone with its 75th anniversary. Jack Walters Sr. started manufacturing oxyfuel cutting tips in a makeshift workshop in his home in 1940. As demands brought on by World War II increased, he started the company in a small, rented garage in Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1950, Walters moved the production facility to a larger building in Bloomfield, Pa. The family’s second generation aided in the company’s growth. By the late 1960s, operations expanded; it relocated to a 5000-sq-ft facility in McKeesport, Pa. In 1980, the company surpassed the limits of its production facility and opened a new operation in Bradenton, Fla., occupying 15,000 sq ft. About that time, the family’s third generation earned positions. During these years, the company started manufacturing lines of plasma and gas metal arc torches and consumables, laser consumables, and thermal spray torches and consumables. Laser optics were later added. Today, American Torch Tip Co.’s manufacturing plant and headquarters occupy approximately 72,000 sq ft. It produces about 20,000 parts encompassing five welding technologies. Its distribution networks have grown with products shipping to more than 55 countries. The company employs more than 150 full-time workers. Employment Numbers Improve U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez recently issued the following statement about the February 2015 Employment Situation report: “The economic winds remained at our back in February with the addition of 295,000 new jobs. That makes 12 months in a row of at least 200,000 new jobs, the longest such streak in nearly 20 years. And for five years now — 60 uninterrupted months — private sector employment growth has continued unabated to the tune of more than 12 million jobs overall. The labor market continues to strengthen, as the economy has increasingly added middle- and highwage jobs over the last two years. The unemployment rate of 5.5% is the lowest it’s been since the spring of 2008. And in 2014, unemployment fell in all 50 states for the first time in 30 years.” Organizations Partner to Improve Iron Worker Safety The Iron Workers, Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT), and Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) have established a collaborative partnership to advance safety among those working in the trade in the United States and Canada. IMPACT Labor Cochairman Walter W. Wise, IMPACT Management Cochairman William W. Brown, and BCSP Board President Cece Weldon recently signed an agreement at the opening of the general session of the Ironworkers/IMPACT Annual Meeting. Each organization will work cooperatively through communication, outreach, and occupational safety/health development opportunities in many areas not limited to the following: sharing information on safety management systems, outlining the benefits of competency-based certifications, developing career opportunities, and collaboration with project owners as well as regulatory agencies regarding the benefits of mandating certifications project safety requirements. PRESS TIME NEWS 12 WELDING JOURNAL / APRIL 2015 WJ The American Torch Tip Co. has been in business for 75 years. Pictured is one of its PHD® plasma cutting torches in action.
Welding Journal | April 2015
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