MSCC Joins American Welding Society, Pursues Program Certification

Pete Selden and Ed Cook

Mid-South Community College has taken the first step toward overall program certification by joining the American Welding Society (AWS) as an Institutional Member.

“The institutional membership recognizes that we have started that process, and what we have effectively done is invest in a comprehensive curriculum to make sure what we’re teaching aligns with American Welding Society and National Center for Construction Education and Research standards,” explained Pete Selden, MSCC Workforce Technology Program Specialist.

“Through our affiliation with AWS, we will be working with the SENSE (Schools Excelling through National Skills Standards Education) program to ensure that we are providing industry-relevant training for our students. Very few colleges make such a significant investment because it is costly to purchase curriculum that includes all aspects of industry standards.”

The SENSE curriculum includes multiple layers of instruction beginning with Level 1 (entry level) and continuing through Level 3 (expert). Students have the opportunity to test at the end of each level and earn certification.

MSCC is using Hobart Welding Institute curriculum as it relates to structural (plate) welding. The college plans to add pipe welding at a later date.

“Right now, we’re at level 1,” Selden said, “but we’re planning to expand into Level 2 later. Once we get the entire curriculum in place, that’s the next step for us.”

MSCC welding instructor Ed Cook is in the process of earning welding inspector certification which would authorize him to officially evaluate students’ work on the campus.

“Once we have that in place, we can look at certifying our facility, which would then allow us to do our own testing,” Selden said.

In addition to the AWS membership, MSCC’s welding program is working with the Arkansas Energy Sector Partnership to provide free evaluation, training, and testing to help area welders earn certification.

The college accepts beginners through experienced welders and will train them to the most appropriate level of certification. Students can pursue credentials in a variety of areas including stick (electric arc), MIG, TIG, and flux core welding.

In each course, the students have several projects, and each one builds on the skills mastered in previous exercises. Upon completion of the training, students can take the certification test. Grant funds are currently available to pay for all of the instruction, books, and exam fees.

The self-paced classes meet two nights a week: Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5-9 p.m. MSCC has funding for about 65 more students to enroll before the end of the calendar year.

“We anticipate that the spots will fill up quickly, so anyone interested in welding certification should contact the College as soon as possible,” Selden said.

Anyone interested in MSCC’s welding program should contact Selden at (870) 733-6019 or pjselden@midsouthcc.edu.

For general information about the college, please contact the Admissions Office at (870) 733-6728 or admissions@midsouthcc.edu, see the college’s website at www.midsouthcc.edu, or visit the campus at 2000 West Broadway in West Memphis.