NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School metal fabrication juniors and seniors participated last week in the Notch Mechanical Constructors Pipe Welding Bend Off Competition, a test with some real-world benefits.
Instructor John Kline said 14 McCann students competed Wednesday against about 110 other students throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.
"It looks like second shift in here when you come in at night," Kline said. "They volunteer to come in here to try to hone their skills so they can get better at it."
Kline said students must aim to weld the perfect pipe that once completed at McCann will be sent out and judged by outside contractors who are certified inspectors.
"They will do a visual inspection on these just as if they were welded out in the field somewhere — same criteria," he said.
If a pipe passes the visual inspection on its surface and interior, it then must pass the bend test. The pipe is cut and bent.
"They bend them to see if they hold up because once that metal is stretched over that mandrill all the imperfections in there open right up," Kline said.
Kline said McCann has been participating in the competition for near seven years and has had students place in third and sixth place. He said he anticipates having a few students this year who could place in the top 10.
The first-place winner receives $500 and the school a $500 gift certificate for welding supplies. Tool packages are usually given to the top five that contain helmets, gloves, wrenches, and other "tools of the trade," said Kline.
He said any student who passes both the visual and bend test will be certified in a level of welding, which will aid them when they enter the workforce.
"It's huge when they graduate from here and go out to look for a job in the welding field; that's a huge plus for them," Kline said.
Kristin Monfette with Notch Mechanical Constructors said the competition has been around for 17 years and was established to interest students in pipe welding, which is notoriously difficult.
"Pipe welding is some of the hardest welding to do so to find someone that wants to do it who is willing to continue to increase their skill is not easy," Monfette said.
She said success in this competition could lead to very real job opportunities for many students.
"There is a huge demand right now," she said. "I hire for our company and I can't find enough pipe welders. Even through the recession when we were slow, I was always looking for pipe welders."
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