Is your Student Chapter Prepared for National Welding Month?
Every year National Welding Month has been an opportunity to promote and celebrate the achievements of the welding industry. Since 1996, the American Welding Society has designated the month of April as National Welding Month to bring awareness to the welding industry and its available career paths.
Please plan to join me at 11AM EDT on Wednesday, 03/16 for the March AWS Student Chapter Solutions Conversation as we review ways your Student Chapter can prepare for National Welding Month.
In 2022 our goal will be to open the line of communication between AWS HQ and all Chapter leaders and provide one on one support where needed. If your Chapter is having difficulties conducting meetings, events, or retaining student engagement, please reach out to me. We will be happy to bounce ideas and provide the necessary support to get your Chapter back on track!
In an effort to streamline our communication with each Student Chapter and to cover items that are important, we highly recommend taking your time and read this month’s AWS Student Chapter Newsletter thoroughly.
Let Us Know: How Will Your Student Chapter Celebrate National Welding Month?
AWS Student Chapter Solutions Conversations - Review Recording of January Conversation - Join us on Wednesday 3/16 at 11AM EST
Upcoming Conference + 2022 Membership Town Hall - Women in Welding Conference: 3/29 Design in the Workplace 2022 FREE REGISTRATION for AWS Student Members - Membership Town Halls with AWS Executive Director & CEO, Gary Konarska
1. AWS Student Chapter Solutions Conversation
Plan to join us on Wednesday, 3/16, at 11AM EST for our next AWS Student Chapter Solutions Conversation.
March Topic: Preparing Your Student Chapter for National Welding Month
Overview: Join us as we review how your Chapter can prepare for National Welding Month. We will be sharing new tools and tips on how your Student Chapter can help us celebrate NWM!
We encourage AWS Student Chapter leaders to inform Chapter Members and student peers of all AWS Foundation Scholarship updates. This year alone the AWS Foundation is expecting to award more than $2 million in scholarships. Participating in this webinar will allow students to get familiar with the application process and much more.
Please contact Evelyn Andino (eandino@aws.org) with any questions.
AWS Student Chapter Officers and Advisors are encouraged to participate in our monthly Student Chapter Solutions Conversations.
2. Upcoming Conference + 2022 Membership Town Halls
Women in Welding: Design in the Workplace 2022
Join us for a one-day mini-conference, where attendees will hear from women in the industry who design PPE, create blueprints, design and develop products and services, and how they got into doing it. You may be using Design Thinking instinctively, but this conference will help you use it more intentionally and have your work make a more meaningful impact.
Active AWS Student Members receive COMPLIMENTARY registration!
From Gary: One of my new goals for 2022 is to keep you all updated on what's happening "behind the scenes" at AWS Headquarters. As a result, I'll be starting live, streaming quarterly member webinars highlighting important company milestones and updates that I present during quarterly AWS Staff Town Hall meetings. All sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the Member Network the following day, so if you can't join me, you'll still be able to learn what's going on here at AWS HQ.
Click here to view the recording of the Q4 2021 Town Hall that was conducted on Tuesday, February 1st.
Click on the links below to register for the upcoming 2022 Town Halls (all times are 1:00pm EST):
Did you know that we are hosting a Student Chapter Helmet Giveaway?
The American Welding Society Foundation is providing auto-darkening welding helmets, courtesy of Jackson Safety, to be used to inspire and/or enhance AWS Student Chapter activity.
Simply complete the online request form, and a representative of the AWS will follow up. Supplies are limited and will be distributed on a first come first served basis based on information supplied in the form.
Please contact Evelyn Andino (eandino@aws.org) with any questions.
More Resources to Help You Plan for #NWM2022
1. Share your knowledge There is an abundance of books, videos and articles available to people starting out welding, but there is nothing quite like getting in a workshop and seeing the equipment in action. April is a great month to reach out to people and show them around your workshop. Teach them techniques and what different things do. Show some of your projects and the great things you can achieve as a welder. Answer any questions and focus on inspiring them.
2. Share fun facts Fun facts are a great way to spark an interest. Try sharing a couple of these:
Did you know that over 50% of all man made products undergo a welding process. Everything from cars, buildings, bridges, technology, healthcare and more. Pretty much anything that contains metal has been welded at some point. Welding processes improved significantly during WWII and were crucial to the war effort as welding replaced riveting. The fastest built ship was in 1942, the SS Robert E Peardy, which took just 4 days and 15 hours to build. Welding has been around for thousands of years. It started in the Bronze Age where metal was forged together by Blacksmiths to make tools, weapons and armor. There are even Hieroglyphics that depict welders
3. Add your story on social media If you have social media accounts you could add a post about National Welding Month. If you’re a welder by trade, share your story and talk about how you got into welding, the people you work with, what it entails and what your favorite parts of the profession are. For example: Throughout the month, AWS will highlight stories from those in the welding community and share how welding has shaped their lives. My Welding Story on Instagram: Every welder has a story to tell.
4. Inspire Change Try and inspire change in your community. Wherever you are in the country, if you feel more needs to be done to help bring welders into the workforce, try and push for change. If your local vocational school doesn’t offer a welding program, get in touch and request a review. Raise issues with local politicians if you feel there isn’t enough emphasis on welding education.
One last request: Please share this with your fellow Student Chapter leaders to ensure they stay up-to-speed on all Student Chapter-related news.
About this email:
Each month, I will distribute an electronic newsletter to all Student Chapter Advisors and active Student Chapter Officers (who have a valid email address in our database).
The goal of distributing these newsletters is to effectively communicate important details we want you to be aware of.
I encourage you to discuss these details with your Student Chapter leadership team to ensure everyone is up-to-speed on all relevant news coming from AWS Headquarters as well as a feature on recent successes from some of your colleagues in the field. Reviewing these details as a team is a great way to promote and foster a strong line of communication among Student Chapter leadership as well as within your local Section.
American Welding Society, 8669 NW 36th Street, Miami, Florida 33166, United States, 8004439353
