Industrial Tech Students Go Heavy Metal

Five IT students got to stretch their skills and program curriculum in a week-long stint at the Fresno Aviation campus in May. IT instructor Chris Barger arranged to have them use the Aviation campus’ welding lab to fabricate a 400 lb. metal table for their own IT lab.

It was great fun for the students, gave them some experience with welding techniques and provided a much-needed table for the IT program’s use for many years to come.

But, there was an even more important reason to break away from routine: “Employers, staffing agencies and Advisory Board members have been asking us to include welding and fabrication training into our Industrial Technology curriculum for awhile,” says Barger. “It is technical experience that will make our graduates in even greater demand.”

During the week spent at the Aviation program lab, IT students learned how to set up a welder, fabricate and weld mild steel and use a drill press, tap and dye set, sheet metal shear and break, as well as grind and use a chop saw. The result was a hefty metal structure painted industry-recognized ‘Tool Box Red’ and sporting an aluminum plate bolted to one of the legs with each of the students’ names stamp-punched as the table’s makers.

Did we mention the table is sturdy? “We’ve put every industrial trainer that will fit on the table and it hasn’t budged,” says Barger. “We will get years of use out of it.”

“The Fresno campus IT program would like to thank the Aviation campus for their gracious welcome and for lending them access to their welding lab for this, the first of many opportunities to come,” says Will Cummings, Dean of Student Services.

Undoubtedly a successful venture for his class into welding and fabrication, Chris Barger is already planning their next project.