VGCC Welding program recognized for four decades of Student Success
The Welding Technology program at Vance-Granville Community College recently received international exposure in the form of a glowing article on the web site of Wisconsin-based Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (millerwelds.com), the world’s largest manufacturer of arc welding and cutting equipment.
“VGCC has set to flight the careers of hundreds of certified welders since the inception of the welding program 40 years ago,” the company’s article said. In fact, 19 VGCC Welding students recently became the latest to earn their national certification according to the standards of the American Welding Society. That brought to 625 the total number of certified welders produced by VGCC since 1972.
The newly certified welders include Truman Taylor and Timothy Woodlief, both of Franklinton; Brandon Epps, Allen Fisher, Frank Hall, Asa Harris, Mauois Jefferson, Roger Jenks and Bobby Watson, all of Henderson; Jonathan Aycock of Louisburg; Lucas Williams of Manson; Gregory Tuck of Nelson, Va.; Dustin Adcock, Joshua Leiner, Alexander Marcinko and Austin Towles, all of Oxford; Travis Brown and Brad Cox, both of Wake Forest; and Richard Knight of Zebulon. Hall was enrolled in VGCC’s two-year evening Welding program under instructor David Bullock, while the others were enrolled on the traditional one-year day schedule under Rusty Pace , the head of the VGCC Welding program. Both instructors are also graduates of the program, and Bullock is a welding engineer at Granville County-based Newton Instrument Company.
All students took their practical welding examinations in late summer, and their test welds were then sent to Professional Service Industries of Greensboro for x-ray examinations to find any imperfections. This year, as in the past several years, VGCC students had a 100 percent passing rate on the certification test, and most are already employed as welders.
“Employers continue to recognize that VGCC’s Welding program is one of the best in North Carolina, maintaining an unmatched 40-year tradition of certifying welders,” said VGCC Dean of Applied Technologies and Public Service Angela Gardner-Ragland. “With excellent instructors and well-equipped Welding facilities on our Main and Franklin campuses, our students are getting the training they need to start a career that offers numerous job opportunities, both locally and across the country.”
VGCC’s diploma program provides students a sound understanding of the science, technology, and applications essential for successful employment in the welding and metal industries. VGCC also offers certificate programs in Basic Welding and Welding Certification Practices. For more information, call Pace at (252) 738-3375 or Herbert Washington at (252) 738-3228.
