As we close the year celebrating the AWS Foundation’s 25th anniversary, we have much to be proud of, but there is still much to be done. In 2014, the Foundation awarded $549,531 to 580 individuals. The major portion of these awards went to students who are seeking either a two-year degree at a community college or a four-year welding engineer-related degree. A major mission of the AWS Foundation is to recruit welders into the workforce. Based on the work of the National Skills Panel, which uses U.S. government data statistics, we continue to estimate that by 2020 we will need 250,000 new welders in our workforce. These welders will be needed to replace current welders in the U.S. workforce due to retire. We are renewing our efforts at the Foundation to focus on scholarships directed toward this segment of welding professionals to increase the number of welders in the United States. The welder training-related scholarships we currently award through the Foundation are usually less than $500, which provides a small part of the total dollars needed for training. We currently have a program approved by the AWS Board of Directors to match endowments by AWS Districts and Sections at a 150% level. Also, 150% matching is available for additions to current District/Section endowments. We will ask our AWS District and Section leadership to work with us to establish guidelines so the major focus of their scholarship programs will be to fund scholarship dollars at a minimum $1000 level for welder training scholarships. Currently, our 22 AWS Districts have $10,000 available to them annually for local awards. Our renewed efforts will have these funds used for welder scholarships. We will also engage local companies who depend on welders employed in the market area they serve to support this effort. These companies employ welders, or they sell supplies to support welding processes and others who depend on welders to manufacture items for them. We will ask for a $15,000 pledge payable over three years, and we will match that amount to create a $30,000 scholarship endowment for welder training. The endowment, when funded, will provide an annual award amount of $1500 to help local welders receive training. We also have identified some endowments in the Foundation, and on a selective basis we will be talking to some of those donors about a repurpose of the scholarships to have more influence on welder skill training. A few have already indicated they would be open to discussion. This will not have an impact on the current level of support for both two-year and four-year degree postsecondary programs. We currently have $4.6 million in National Named Endowments that support these programs exclusively. The recipients of these scholarship awards are selected by the AWS National Education Scholarship Committee. Also, annually, the Foundation provides funding for four $25,000 fellowships ($100,000) to support research at universities. These fellowships are selected by the AWS Welding Research and Development Committee. We will continue to attract funding from donors who prefer their dollars to go toward these efforts. As I have indicated, the AWS Board of Directors has been very supportive of our efforts to increase scholarship funding by transferring dollars to support our matching programs. Because of this, we have been successful in attracting new dollars both for new endowments as well as existing accounts. This has been at a 100% match. And, as mentioned, we have the 150% match for funds to support new District/Section scholarships. If you are in a position to help us fund the next generation of skilled welding professionals, contact us to discuss the money matching opportunity we currently have. We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please e-mail Foundation Executive Director Sam Gentry at sgentry@aws.org. We have great expectations during the next 25 years for the AWS Foundation. We are in a very strong position to support welder education at all levels. Our immediate need is to support scholarship opportunities to provide additional trained welders for the U.S. workforce. There is currently a critical need in particular industries and geographic areas for welders. Many opportunities will open in the future due to retirements. Our mission is to help fill this gap. EDITORIAL Replacing the Welder Workforce William Rice Chairman, AWS Foundation “A major mission of the AWS Foundation is to recruit welders into the workforce...we continue to estimate that by 2020 we will need 250,000 new welders...to replace current welders in the U.S. workforce due to retire.” 6 WELDING JOURNAL / NOVEMBER 2015 WJ
Welding Journal | November 2015
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