A new welding training center in Ohio is providing workers in a six-state area the opportunity to learn a skilled trade.
The 6,800-square-foot welding training center—which features 10 welding bays, a training classroom and a state-of-the-art ventilation system—is owned and operated by NiSource, Columbia Gas’ parent company. It’s being used to train company welders and to qualify or requalify both company and contract welders to ensure they can safely work on the utility’s gas pipelines.
The facility’s centralized location in Gahanna, Ohio, will benefit employees and contractors across NiSource’s service area, which spans six states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Virgina and Indiana.
By providing on-the-job training, the center will help new hires transition into skilled trade careers. It also offers an alternative for people who don’t have the resources to pursue a traditional four-year degree.
“As we work to develop future talent and enhance employee knowledge, the new welding training facility will help us provide the skills needed to be exceptional in our industry so we may continue to safely serve our customers and provide the services they deserve,” Bill Jefferson, NiSource executive vice president, chief operating and safety officer, told American Gas.
The welding curriculum is set up for 12 months. Students will leave with the American Welding Society Structural Steel Welding qualification and the American Petroleum Institute qualification for welding pipelines and facilities. Students will also take a basic pipefitting class and a pipeline tapping class.
“Our goal is to achieve operational excellence by continuously improving the way we work, and this new facility will help us do that by offering a centralized welding training location for employees and contractors across the NiSource footprint,” Jefferson said. “Welders, gas field and service technicians, and electric line workers together create the backbone of our company. NiSource and the overarching utility industry would not exist without skilled trade workers.”
While currently not open to the community, company officials say the facility may be used in the future to educate students at its trade school partners.