High demand. Skills gap. Critical need. These are just a few terms that describe the outlook of the welding workforce. With an average of 84,000 welding job openings each year, the American Welding Society projects we’ll need 336,000 new welding professionals by 2026. An increased focus on CTE (career and technical education) courses with pathways to the trades by area schools, like Kelso High School, aims to help.
Kelso High School is hosting the regional SkillsUSA Welding competition on Wednesday, February 8, from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Thirty-five students from eleven high schools will compete for a chance to move onto the state welding competition. Welding contestants will participate in a variety of timed activities designed to test their skills. Competition activities include a written test, measuring gauges, oxy-fuel and plasma arc cutting processes, flux core arc welding, gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, and shielded metal arc welding.
Industry experts will judge the competition and hand out medals for state-bound winners. Field reps will also be onsite to meet with student competitors during wait times. This is an opportunity for students to hear firsthand about future employment opportunities in the skilled and technical welding industry.
Regional SkillsUSA Welding Competition
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Kelso High School Welding Area
Competition: 2:00 – 5:00 pm, Awards 5:30 – 6:00 pm
PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
JUDGES
INDUSTRY SPONSORS
Kelso School District has a long-standing tradition of excellence in education. The CTE program offers approximately 70 on-site courses and 7 off-campus courses in partnership with industry leaders. Students can earn dual credit in 31 CTE courses. In the area of welding, the district offers the opportunity to earn five welding certifications. Kelso School District’s mission is to prepare every student for living, learning, and achieving success as a citizen of our changing world.
REVISED STORY - CORRECTION: September fee-free day for National Public Lands Day is Sep. 23
PORTLAND, Ore, — In honor of George Washington’s birthday and to increase recreational access to public land, the Bureau of Land Management is waiving recreation standard amenity and day-use fees for visitors on Feb. 20, 2023. The BLM invites the public to visit the unique and diverse natural landscapes and visitor facilities on BLM-managed lands to celebrate the life of the first U.S. President George Washington.
This marks the second of the BLM’s fee-free days of 2023. Fee-free days refer to the waiver of standard amenity fees and day-use fees, such as visitor centers, picnic/day use areas, and National Conservation Lands units where fees are charged. Expanded amenity fees and other fees, like group day use, overnight camping, cabin rentals, and individual special recreation permits, will remain in effect unless the authorized officer determines it is appropriate to waive them.
BLM’s public lands offer spectacular beauty in the colder months. Find a map of BLM’s top recreation locations in the snow, rain, or ice here:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/766c58075f574db2b52f3d2e13b75bb8
Winter recreation on public lands
Be prepared:
Recommendations on where to go with snow (NOTE: these locations may or may not have fees):
Recommendations on where to go with little to no snow (NOTE: these locations may or may not have fees):
In 2023, BLM will waive recreation standard amenity and day use fees for visitors on:
For more information about the BLM’s recreation fee program, please visit https: //www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees.
-BLM-
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.