An Excellent Career Is Waiting For Casper High Schoolers

In the early days of America, a few trades helped develop how we know life here in Wyoming now. Some that come to mind are:

• Carpenters
• Cobblers
• Miners
• Gunsmiths
• Cabinetmakers
• Printers
• Woodworkers
• Farmers/ Ranchers
• and Blacksmiths

Looking at that list, the blacksmith stands out as one of the most essential.

Why, you ask?

Without them, we wouldn't have the other trades. Blacksmiths made the metal objects each of those other trades used—nails, hammers, picks, axes, plows, and gun parts.

As technology advanced, so did blacksmiths' abilities. They continued to work with metals, learned to forge pieces together, and, over time, created another piece of the Industrial Revolution pie: the welding industry.

If you're a welder, you'll never be without a job. The American Welding Society estimates that there will be a need for over 320,000 welders in the next four years.

So, if you have a high school student looking to start working toward their future, you may want to encourage them to try welding.

In Casper, the Natrona County High School will be one of 72 schools in 33 states joining the Airgas 2025 High School Welding Education Initiative.

Since the initiative began in 2018, 162 schools, over 12,000 students, and 664 instructors have benefitted from the program, and over 1,900 students have gotten post-graduation jobs since 2021.

The program provides participating schools with a customized mix of hands-on professional development training for welding teachers, welding consumables and equipment, safety PPE, and other essential resources. The selected school programs are chosen based on four key factors: high unmet need at the school, a productive welding program with the potential to graduate job-ready welders, passionate teachers, and enthusiastic local Airgas champions.

Airgas COO Jay Worley says:

We are thrilled to expand the Airgas High School Welding Education Initiative and further our commitment to supporting welding education. By investing in these 72 programs, we are not only addressing a critical skills gap but also empowering students to pursue rewarding careers in welding, engineering, and technical fields.