Northland Pioneer College in Arizona had a problem – a good problem. More students were enrolling in their practical welding classes than ever before, but that also meant a greater output of welding fumes than the school’s homemade ventilation system could put up with. More kids? Ditch the fumes please!
Fumes + Weld students = Bad news
Vocational school cleans up air for thriving weld program
March 14, 2009
A welding program in northeastern Arizona, looking to improve the air quality in its welding lab, replaced its fume extraction equipment.
Located in the mountains of northeastern Arizona, Northland Pioneer College provides real-life experiences to high school juniors and seniors in 11 area school districts through its dual enrollment program. In conjunction with Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT), a partner institution, NPC/NAVIT offers courses ranging from cosmetology to welding.
One of the most popular classes at NPC/NAVIT is the welding applications program, which provides students with the skills necessary to become National Center for Construction Education and Research- (NCCER) and American Welding Society- (AWS) certified welders. Led by weld instructor Curtis Casey, NPC/NAVIT’s weld program has taken off, expanding to facilities in Holbrook and St. Johns, and attracting high school, charter school, home-schooled, and college students, as well as tradesmen and hobbyist welders.
“We were the first and are still the only AWS-endorsed educational and testing facility in northeastern Arizona,” Casey said.
