BLINN TO OFFER WELDING, MACHINING COURSES
Course registration is available at 2910 South Blue Bell Road
Blinn College’s A.W. Hodde, Jr. Technical Education Center will offer a general safety course for machinists as well as courses in stick, oxy-fuel, and MIG welding this August.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA ) General Safety Training course runs from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Aug. 28-29, and is the first in a five-course series that prepares students for careers as machinists.
Machinists set up and operate a variety of tools to produce precision parts and instruments, and may fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, machinists earn a mean hourly wage of $20.78.
Students who complete General Safety Training can take subsequent courses in Industrial Mathematics, Basic Machine Shop, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, and Statistical Process Control for Machinists to earn their machinist certification by Monday, Nov. 13.
Blinn also will offer three new welding course sections in the coming month. Fundamentals of SMAW (Stick) Course 1 and Beginning Welding (MIG) begin Monday, Aug. 28, while Beginning Welding (Oxy-Fuel) begins Tuesday, Aug. 29.
“I enjoy beginning with the blueprints, then getting to work and seeing projects come together,” said welding student Jason Paniagua. “The small class sizes at the Hodde Center are more hands on, and I get a lot of one-on-one instructor help.”
According to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics, the median wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers is $18.94 per hour.
Blinn’s technical and community education courses are designed to provide students the knowledge and abilities they need to enter the workforce immediately after completion of the courses. Many of these courses do not require a high school diploma and enrollment is fast and easy. As most of these courses are non-credit, students do not need to go through the College’s admission process to enroll. Programs vary in length and are offered with daytime, evening, and weekend options.
Prospective students can register by visiting the Hodde Center, located at 2910 S. Blue Bell Road in Brenham, during regular business hours.
The 12,000-square-foot Hodde Center was built in 2009 to provide local training for a quality, viable workforce in Washington and the surrounding communities. As part of Blinn’s Division of Technical & Community Education, its staff works in cooperation with local businesses to provide a well-trained workforce that strengthens the local economy.
Business owners can enroll their employees in Hodde Center courses using Texas Workforce Commission Skills Development and Skills for Small Business funds, and Hodde Center staff can help businesses complete the request form. Blinn also offers students access to scholarships through the Blinn College Foundation, private grants, and Workforce Solutions.
For more information regarding the Hodde Center and it course offerings, call 979-830-4443 or visit: www.blinn.edu/workforce.
| COURSE NAME/NUMBER | BEGIN | END | CONTACT HRS | DAYS | TIMES | COST |
| OSHT 1000: OSHA General Safety Training | 8/28 | 8/29 | 12 | MT | 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | $150 |
| WLDG 1009: Fundamentals of SMAW (Stick) Course 1 | 8/28 | 9/18 | 60 | MTW | 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | $500 |
| WLDG 1425: Beginning Welding (Oxy-Fuel) | 8/29 | 12/14 | 128 | TTh | 8:00 a.m. – noon | Credit |
| WLDG 1025: Beginning Welding (Oxy-Fuel) | 8/29 | 12/14 | 128 | TTh | 8:00 a.m. – noon | $1,200 |
| WLDG 1434: Beginning Welding (MIG) | 8/28 | 12/13 | 128 | MW | 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | Credit |
| WLDG 1034: Beginning Welding (MIG) | 8/28 | 12/13 | 128 | MW | 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. | $1,200 |
COURTESY: Richard Bray, Binn Information
This is a wonderful training program. I hope many people take advantage of this. Kudos to Hodde training and Blinn College.