“If a student comes out of that program, I am very confident that they're ready for our industry here.”
For years, Great Plains College has been working in partnership with local industries to train skilled graduates for in-demand careers. The college boasts small class sizes, high-quality instructors, lots of hands-on experience, and strong connections to employment throughout the industries they prepare students for.
Vim Parmar,president of Wheatland Machine Shop in Swift Current, is an example of a local employer who has benefitted from the skilled graduates coming out of the college’s Welding program. Parmar commented that GPC gives students a good taste of their chosen industry, and that the partnership between Great Plains College and Wheatland Machine Shop is greatly beneficial for both parties.
“We’re fortunate here in Swift Current to have a guy like Jared running the program,” Parmar said, in reference to Welding instructor Jared McKenzie. “He holds his students to a high standard, ensuring they’re equipped with the skills they need to be successful in the workplace - he doesn’t cut students any slack, because as a professional himself, he’s stamping his name on that student, saying ‘this person is ready for the industry.’.”
When Wheatland Machine Shop is looking to hire, their first call is to the college, learning who’s coming out of the program, and whether or not they have a job lined up. It’s a symbiotic relationship between the two, one that benefits not only the two parties, but the community at large.
“As soon as an uncertified welder enters a shop like ours, we invest a lot of time, money, and training into that person. For someone to be here for a year or two and then say ‘this isn’t for me’, that’s a lost investment on our end,” Parmar said.“The college allows people to test out an industry or career path, and show up with the right certifications and training so that they can get started right away and grow their career. It benefits the student and employer greatly to have local job-ready training.”
Wheatland Machine Shop is under the ticket of CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau), which means that no job can be completed by an uncertified technician. Tasked with equipment for construction and oilfield applications, welders must comply with the strictest guidelines.
“If I take someone in fresh off the street, I first need to put them to the CWB course before they do any repairs or production here. That’s a seven-to-eight-month window.”
When welders come out of the welding program at Great Plains College, business owners know that the graduates are up to the task.
“If students come out with their Level 1 CWB ticket, I know that they’ve covered all the aspects of being a welder before they start with us. I know that I can give them a job, they can do it, and it can leave through my shop.”
Colt Cornelson is a 2020 graduate of the GPC welding program who started work at WMS after completing the program. He notes that the classroom learning paired with hands-on experience, helped students understand what the trade was all about, what to expect from the work environment and how to have a successful career as a welder.
“The course gives you all the skills you need to start working as a welder in the trade,” Cornelson said. “Our instructor had a lot of field experience, which made the learning more impactful.”
A typical workday at Wheatland Machine Shop has Cornelson working on fabrication jobs, steel structures, and more. CWB certified, he was prepared for this kind of work on his very first day on the job.
“If you're thinking about becoming a welder or pursuing any new career path, take a local program,” he said. “It gets your foot in the door and gets you really thinking about your future.”
“We believe in the college for many reasons,” Parmar said. “Not just for the quality of students that come out of the program, but what the college does for the community itself. A college draws people in students come here, not just locally, but from all over the place. If we can draw them into Swift Current, our annual graduate survey shows that 97 per cent of graduates feel prepared to work in their field of study, and just under 90 per cent found employment within the region.”
Get started in your chosen program and career path with Great Plains College this fall. Apply to a full-time program by April 30, and you’ll automatically be considered for an Entrance Scholarship of $500-$5,000. For more information, stop by the Swift Current Campus at 129 2nd Avenue NE in Swift Current, phone 306-773-1531 or visit their website.
