EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — High school students from West Texas and Eastern New Mexico faced off in the 5th annual Texas High School Welding Series (TXHSWS) Build-Off and Competition to showcase how skilled trades can not only secure a career but also provide a pathway for youth who are looking for an opportunity.
The competition took place on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Sun City Welding Academy, located at 6940 Commerce Ave. Student welders in teams of two or three were placed in real-world environments, where they received project build plans the morning of the event and completed their projects under time pressure, similar to actual job-site conditions.
“This competition shows students that welding is not just a skill, it’s a career,” Scott Herndon, owner of Sun City Welding Academy, said. “These students are building something real, with real standards, and real consequences, just like they will in the workforce.”
“Yeah, it all starts from safety. You know, safety and also reading and understanding blueprints, and like you said, even maintenance on machines. You know, because they got to be able to troubleshoot. Because when these competitions, we’re not here to watch over them. We’re back there, so they got to work with each other.” Ernest Sanchez, a teacher from Gadsden High School, said about the competition…