Hanford West students given opportunity to explore hands-on careers through welding pathway

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- Hanford West Senior Edgar Ferrer walked america done the highlights of a barbeque grill connected campus.

"This is simply a Santa Maria grill. We person a stainless alloy grates with the Hanford West logo connected there," Ferrer explained. "We person doors wherever you tin unfastened it up, enactment charcoal successful there."

The full happening was customized built by helium and his classmates successful the Welding Pathway.

The 3 years of courses are taught by teacher Bill Chambers.

"What we're trying to thatch them is manufacturing skills, welding skills, I thatch immoderate machining skills," Chambers said.

He says by their last twelvemonth astatine the precocious school, they'll person their OSHA certification and they'll beryllium acceptable to enactment arsenic an apprentice successful a nonrecreational shop.

Chambers works intimately with the students, but gives them abstraction to effort things retired connected their own.

He says the people is important for students who similar to enactment with their hands due to the fact that they're capable to spot what they're moving toward.

"One of the things astir a store similar this is you commencement with thing and you get a finished product," Chambers said. "All of the sudden, it lights a occurrence underneath them and 'Oh, I similar this.'"

Superintendent Victor Rosa says Career Technical Programs similar these springiness students who don't play sports oregon aren't portion of a nine a crushed to amusement up to school.

"They mightiness not similar each of their classes, but they emotion that class," Rosa said.

Every clip students enactment connected their welding helmet, measurement oregon marque a cut, they're moving connected skills they tin usage successful the future.

Ferrer, who's already putting his skills to enactment astatine a Hanford Stainless alloy fabrication company, says he'd urge different students see joining.

"I deliberation it's a bully programme to person due to the fact that it teaches students -- for the students that similar hands-on -- it teaches them a batch and it gives them an accidental to spot however it is moving successful a shop," Ferrer said.

The people changes with the industry. For instance, they precocious received a machine matic power mill. The students volition beryllium capable to programme the instrumentality and it volition marque the cuts for them.

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