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www.marinelink.com 51? Safely accomplish welds out of doors in all weather conditions, and more!Mary Lockman, SSCC program advi-sor says, ?It really takes a certain kind of person for this job,? referring to the welding profession. ?You have to be willing to spend the entire day buried in-side that heavy welding suit and helmet working outside no matter the weather.? She worried they wouldn?t be able to Þ nd enough students that Þ t the require- ments, but she was happily wrong. The Þ rst class Þ lled in four weeks with a small waiting list, a list that is growing as word of the program spreads.The Seattle and Portland programs give students the chance to work in a real-life industrial environment, to test it out and see if the job and the lifestyle are for them. Rasmussen and Johnson both enthuse about the advantages of having their classrooms inside a work-ing shipyard. Says Rasmussen, ?This gives the students a unique opportunity to see what this type of training can lead to. They actually can watch the new con- struction of barges and the ship repair activities, it?s very real-world!? The Seattle program has dropped only one student - for being late to class. As Johnson said, ?If you can?t show up on time for class, you probably won?t show up on time for work.? In addition to having pre-algebra math skills, some level of mechanical apti-tude, and the ability to read and write English, students must pass a drug test, be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or GED. The success of the two programs has inspired Vigor to expand the concept. Says Haley, ?We are already collaborat- ing with the University of Alaska in Ket- chikan, [where Vigor recently purchased the Alaska Ship and Drydock facility] as well as other community groups and will be building training options for each of the communities where we do business.?Without exception, every person in- volved in the training programs credits CEO Frank Foti for the program?s exis- tence. Says Johnson, ?[Foti] was 100% supportive.? Mannion concurs, ?If Frank says ?make it happen,? it happens.? With lists of eager students, expanding classrooms, and support from multiple sources, it appears the problem of insuf-Þ cient skilled tradespeople is quickly becoming a thing of the past for Vigor. Student Josh Lanser display-ing his recent welding project. MR #9 (50-57).indd 51MR #9 (50-57).indd 519/3/2013 12:24:39 PM9/3/2013 12:24:39 PM