VGCC Welding Students Continue Tradition, Pass Certification Exam
Eight graduating students in the day Welding Technology program at Vance-Granville Community College have done what 491 did before them – pass the national certification exam for welding.
The students, who will graduate from VGCC on Aug. 5, took the American Welding Society practical exam on the college’s main campus July 17, and their tests were sent to Professional Services Industries Inc. of Greensboro for radiography testing. Michael McGraw, laboratory supervisor for PSI, reported that the test welds of all eight students passed national specifications.
Gaining certification and qualifying to become members of the American Welding Society are Randy Hargrove of Middleburg, Brian Haynes of Warrenton, Chris Henderson of Oxford, Brandon Neville of Bunn, Willie Davis of Louisburg, Aaron Mickle and Travis Murray of Durham, and Eddie McKoy of Maxton and Kittrell Job Corps.
Bill Jones, welding program head and instructor, said the eight successful candidates brings to 499 the number of students who have been certified since the program began at Vance-Granville Community College in 1972. In addition, several students have certified in more than one type of welding so the number of certifications earned by Vance-Granville students numbers well over 500.
Two of the graduating students, Brandon Neville and Randy Hargrove, report they have already obtained jobs in the welding field. Jones feels confident the others will have the opportunity to work in their field. “The job market is wide open in this area, and I constantly get inquiries from companies as far away as the Research Triangle and Greensboro who are interested in hiring our graduates,” he said.
Vance-Granville welding graduates also are successful much farther from home. Jones recently received correspondence from John Sanchez, a 1986 graduate who lives in Allentown, Pa., and who earns $32 to $35 an hour working through one of the highest-paying unions in the nation in New Jersey.
Another graduate, Derrick Flowers of the class of 1987, wrote Jones to say he travels all over the country working for a company that builds power plants. He, too, is making a high salary using the skills he developed in the VGCC program.
Completion of the welding program also qualifies the students for VGCC’s Multi-Skilled Technician program. Through this, they may study one or more vocational programs offered at the college to enhance their employability.
Openings remain in both the day and evening Fall Semester welding classes that will begin Aug. 19. Registration for these programs will be held July 29-Aug. 15. Interested persons should contact Jones or Herbert Washington, vocational counselor, at 492-2061.
In the photo above, eightgraduating day students at Vance-Granville Community College passed the national welding certification exam July 17. Front row, from left, are Eddie McCoy of Maxton, Willie Davis of Louisburg, Randy Hargrove of Middleburg, Brandon Neville of Bunn and Chris Henderson of Oxford. On the back row, from left, are James H. Wheeler Jr., chairman of Vocational and Public Services Education, graduates Brian Haynes of Warrenton, Aaron Mickle and Travis Murray, both of Durham, and Bill Jones, Welding Technology program head and instructor.
