OCEAN COUNTY VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL
HOSTS STATE WELDING FABRICATION COMPETITION
Jean Sullivian, March 18, 2011

TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY
Ocean County Vocational Technical School (OCVTS), Toms River, New Jersey hosted the SkillsUSA competition for Welding Fabrication this past weekend. While SkillsUSA has held welding Competitions for individuals for years, this is only the second year for team competition in the state of New Jersey. Three-person teams from ten county vocational school districts including Cumberland, Essex (Bloomfield and Newark Campuses), Gloucester, Morris, Ocean, Salem, Somerset and Sussex counties were represented at the competition.

Dan Roskiewich, SkillsUSA Welding Competition New Jersey Tech Chair was pleased with the growth of the competition.” Last year was the first year we held this event as a competition and we had six counties participate. This year we have ten. I knew once we started that the interest and participation would grow.” He added, “Here we have 30 proud tradesmen using the skills they have learned; working hard to make their schools and instructors proud and be the best in the state.. That is what SkillsUSA is all about.”

Each team was supplied with blueprints for the fabrication project ahead of time. The students had time to review the plans and develop their strategy for time management and construction techniques, although they were not apprised of the types of welding required for each phase of the project. Ultimately, contestants had to demonstrate oxy-fuel cutting, shielded metal arc, tungsten arc and gas metal arc welding for the competition.

All contestants are required to take a written test to evaluate their knowledge of welding techniques and safety procedures which will be administered at the New Jersey Skills USA Competition to be held April 3 in Somerset, New Jersey. The results of the written test combined with the fabrication judging will determine the New Jersey State champions in Welding Fabrication. Those winners will advance to national competition in Kansas City, Missouri in June.

Each student who competed on Saturday received a $1,500 scholarship to continue their training at Ohio Technical College in Cleveland. The top three teams who place at the state-level competition will be eligible for up to $12,000 in scholarships for the college’s one-year Master Welding Technology Program.

The competition was made possible by the generous donations of equipment and materials from Lincoln Electric, Northeast Regional Office located in Exton, Pennsylvania and by the volunteer judges from the welding industry who were on hand to evaluate the quality of workmanship and adherence to rules and safety standards.

SkillsUSA is a national organization which provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to promote the growth and development of a skilled workforce in America. For more information about SkillsUSA visit www.skillsusa.org

Ocean County Vocational Technical School offers a two-year 900-hour Welding program for high school students as well as adults. The welding program provides students with hands-on instruction in a variety of welding and metal fabrication processes. Students learn techniques in shielded metal arc, gas metal arc, gas tungsten arc, and flux cored arc welding. Welding related cutting processes covered include oxy-fuel gas and plasma arc cutting. Upon completion students are prepared for careers in construction, fabrication, and repair of industrial and transportation equipment including cars, ships, pleasure crafts, and aircraft. They are also qualified for employment in the area of structural welding including the fabrication of bridges, steel structures, pipelines, and boilers.