At a time when the demand for welders and machinists is at an all-time high, Polk State College has decided to launch its welding program.

Welding and other craft work at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, the first in the U.S. in a generation, must meet higher technical standards.

Copeland and other women make up around 4% of the welding workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At CNM, the number is higher as around 12% of welding students are women.

Education No, You Don’t ‘Have to Go to College to Become a Welder’ A welder at work in Port Fourchon, La., in 2010.(Patrick Kelley/Reuters) By Erin Valdez About Erin Valdez December 2, 2019 ...

Welders and other craft laborers get per diems because they travel to where the work is, often sleeping in hotels near work sites or bringing their own recreation vehicles from their hometowns.

The new law requires welders of “structural steel” on public works projects to be certified by the American Welding Society, at least at the “base level,” known as the D1.1 certification.