Professional Welder Training Scheduled at BTEC   Clifton Forge, VA (July 18, 2018) - Two Professional Welder Training courses are being offered this fall at the Botetourt Technical Education Center in Fincastle through the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Workforce Solutions and Community Education division. Built according to local welding industry demands with a focus on fabrication and welding shop conditions, these programs provide a well-rounded experience to help students get to work quickly. Topics include safety, shop knowledge and practice, tools and equipment, blueprint reading, oxy-fuel cutting, as well as plasma cutting. Welding shield and jacket are provided, but students should bring their own appropriate footwear, safety glasses, gloves, and personal hand tools. Professional Welder, which will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, August 13-Novemver 28, includes 121 hours of instruction and hands-on training. Students may earn as many as four American Welding Society (AWS) qualifications. Students will learn Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) and Flux Cored Arc Welding, (FCAW). The tuition fee is $3,960. Students in the more robust Professional Welder Plus training course will learn 3 welding processes –GMAW and FCAW as well as Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) - with 7 AWS qualifications. The 161-hour course will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, August 13 through November 29. The tuition fee is $6,330. Financial assistance is available for qualified enrollees through the FastForward program. No experience is necessary for either of these courses, which provide entry-level job readiness training. BTEC is located at 253 Poor Farm Road, Fincastle. For more information about financial assistance or to register, contact FastForward Career Coach Brooke Shehan at (540) 863-2848 or bshehan@dslcc.edu.

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