4 VGCC Evening Welding Students Earn National Certification

Four Welding Technology students in the evening program at Vance-Granville Community College have passed the national certification exam on July 27.

This accomplishment follows certification by 11 day program students on July 14 and brings to 538 the number of welding students who have earned certification since the program began at Vance-Granville in 1972.

The most recent students certified nationally are Danny Ellington of Stem, Rondale Talley of Henderson, Bruce Wheeler of Creedmoor and Courtney Womack of Youngsville.

The four VGCC students received licenses certifying them in three welding positions: unlimited wall thickness, plate and pipe fillet, and plate and pipe groove welds. Professional Services Inc. of Greensboro tested the students’ welds, and Michael McGraw, PSI laboratory supervisor, said all the test welds were excellent.

Bill Jones, Welding Technology program head at Vance-Granville, congratulated the successful students and their instructor, Rusty Pace. “Rusty has been the evening welding instructor for two years after having taught part-time for the college for several years, and he is doing an outstanding job in preparing his students for the national certification exam,” Jones said.

Welding Technology is taught as a one-year diploma program during the day and as a two-year evening program. Anyone interested in more information or in enrolling in Welding Technology at VGCC may contact Herbert Washington, vocational counselor, at (252) 738-3228.

CERTIFIED EVENING WELDERS – The most recent of 538 welding students at Vance-Granville Community College who have been nationally certified are four men in the evening program. Pictured are, front, from left: Rusty Pace, evening instructor, Courtney Womack of Youngsville, Danny Ellington of Stem, and James Wheeler, Dean of Applied Technologies and Public Services; and back row, from left, Rondale Talley of Henderson and Bruce Wheeler of Creedmoor.