Get Fired Up! Del Mar College Calling All Area Welders to Register for First “Día De Los Muertos” Welding Competition Set for Nov. 4
Welding Applied Technology Program invites Coastal Bend’s Dual Credit high school and college students and professional welders to sign up; event includes DMC Industrial Technology Department career exploration fair and industry vendors
Article by Melinda Eddleman
The Del Mar College (DMC) Welding Applied Technology Program is fired up! And, program faculty want area Dual Credit high school students, DMC and other post-secondary and trades training students and area professional welders to turn up the heat, too, for the first “Día Del Los Muertos” Welding Competition scheduled Friday, Nov. 4.
The Welding Applied Technology Program is starting this competition because we want to promote the welding industry in a way that has never been done before, so we’re tying it to a ‘Día De Los Muertos’ theme. For a long time, faculty have wanted to hold a competition like this one that brings high school and college students and industry professionals together to not only compete but to showcase the talent we have here in the Coastal Bend at all levels. And then, COVID hit.
Competition will be held 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the College’s Windward Campus at 4101 Old Brownsville Road (78405) in the Welding Labs of the Metals Technology Building and the Workforce Development Center. Get directions and online campus map.
Welding categories include pipe, plate, SMAW, Combo GTAW/SMAW and “Best of the Best” Industry Welders Pipe/GTAW. Student competitors have the chance to win DMC scholarships, belt buckles, equipment and DMC Welding ball caps while industry professionals can win cash prizes, including $1,000 and additional items for first place, $750 for second place and $250 for third place.
Garcia notes, “What’s different about this competition is that no one will know what size and thickness the material will be or what position it will be placed, meaning competition will be based on skill and confidence among the competitors.”
Registration is currently underway for competitors with entry fees as follows: $25 for both Dual Credit high school and college students and $250 for welding professionals. The deadline for competition registration is Friday, Oct. 28. Contact Samuel Garcia, Assistant Professor of Welding Applied Technology, at 361-698-1898 or sgarcia171@delmar.edu.
The event is also open to spectators, who are invited to watch the competitors demonstrate their skills as well as attend the DMC Industrial Technology Department’s Career Exploration Fair scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Metals Technology Building. Participants can learn about career opportunities and speak directly with faculty who teach in the College’s Environmental/Petrochemical Lab Technology, Industrial Instrumentation, Industrial Machining, Millwright (Industrial Maintenance Mechanic), Nondestructive Testing Technology, Process Technology and Welding Applied Technology Programs. Representatives from the College’s Dual Credit Program, Student Outreach and Enrollment Services and will also be available to answer questions about becoming a Viking at Del Mar College!
Industry vendors will also be set up in the same location from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for spectators and competitors to visit and learn about the latest equipment and technology used in the welding field.
Current sponsors include Pipeliners Cloud and Weld Porn as well as the following vendors: AirGas, Coastal Welding Supplies and Gas and Supply. Organizers are still recruiting sponsors and vendors for this event. Sponsorship levels are Platinum ($5,000), Gold ($2,500), Silver ($1,000) and Bronze ($500). Interested individuals and companies in the industry can make donations online at https://give.delmar.edu/weld2022.
Sponsors and vendors also can contact Garcia directly at 361-698-1898 or sgarcia171@delmar.edu. The deadline to sign up as a sponsor or vendor is Friday, Oct. 21.
Garcia adds, “There are a lot of welding jobs out there, and we need to fill those positions with qualified, well-trained welders, so I can’t think of a better way to showcase the welding field than to hold a competition that gives individuals the opportunity to see and hear about what the profession can do for them and their families.”
“And, if their choice is not welding, they can learn more about the other high-demand, good paying fields that Del Mar College’s Industrial Technology Department provides training to support the Coastal Bend’s workforce.”
Download a printable flyer from the upper right-hand corner.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.