Safety pays—especially for three students from Clinton County RESA (Regional Education Service Agency), St. John, MI. They achieved the highest combined score on an oxy-fuel cutting and welding safety test and won a prize package valued at more than $11,500 donated by ESAB’s Future Fabricators program. The safety test was part of the 21st annual secondary school welding competition hosted by the Welding Engineering Technology Program at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI, on May 9. 

ESAB also donated an additional $6,000 in equipment prizes and filler metals to the competition, including AlcoTec® aluminum filler metal, a Rogue® EMP 210 Pro multiprocess welder, a Rogue EM 140 MIG welder, a Rogue ES 201i Stick/TIG welder, a Savage A50 LUX automatic helmet and two Savage A41 automatic helmets. Part of ESAB’s “Ultimate Line-Up,”  this equipment is ideal for home, school, light fabrication, farm and maintenance applications. AlcoTec aluminum filler metals, made just 90 miles away in Traverse City, Mich., set the industry standard for quality, consistency and performance.

The safety test was based on knowledge of the ANSI Z49.1-2021: Standard For Safety In Welding, Cutting, And Allied Processes, an internationally accepted standard from the American National Safety Institute (ANSI). Each safety test winning student personally won an ESAB Savage A41 automatic welding helmet. Clinton County RESA won a Victor® Performer EDGE 2.0 oxy-acetylene cutting/welding/heating outfit, a Victor safety audit, an equipment donation to enhance the school’s oxy-fuel resources, and a hands-on oxy-fuel safety and cutting technique training session from an ESAB/Victor expert.

A total of 143 students, representing 33 Michigan secondary schools, participated in the competition, which included five different welding skills competitions that use weld quality judging criteria similar to the SkillsUSA national welding competition. Winners receiving equipment from ESAB included:

•    SMAW, Robert Percha, Flat Rock High School, Flat Rock, Mich.

•    Oxyfuel Welding, Braxton Esper, Cheboygan High School, Cheboygan, Mich.

•    GTAW, Landon Downs, Lenawee ISD, Adrian, Mich.

“Thanks to continued support from equipment manufacturers like ESAB, our annual secondary school welding competition attracts Michigan’s best secondary school welders,” says Jeffrey Carney, Professor/Program Coordinator, Welding Engineering Technology (WELE) BS degree, Ferris State University. “The competition is our single best recruiting tool. A total of 181 students who participated in the program in its first 20 years have attended Ferris State, and 116 of those students achieved a BS in welding engineering technology.” Ferris State, which also offers a 2-year associate’s degree in welding technology, is one of the nation’s top schools for welding education.

ESAB regional sales manager Jon Mench and ESAB account manager Rob Krause awarded the prizes. Mench and Krause obtained their BS in Welding Engineering Technology from Ferris State in 2002 and 1998, respectively. 

“We created the ESAB Future Fabricators Program to support and encourage the next generation of young people to pursue welding education and careers in welding,” says Krause, who is also an AWS Certified Welding Inspector. “I have had a very fun and rewarding career since graduating from Ferris. I try to attend the competition every year, and the excitement I see in the next generation is very encouraging. I’m fortunate to work for a company that supports this event.”

For more information, visit esab.com/us/namen/landing-pages/future-fabricators/.