JADA MARTIN (PHOTOS BY DAYNA DELGADO)
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that an all-female cohort at Passport Academy Charter School worked with the Industrial Arts Workshop to create art through…welding.
It has people like Passport Academy Principal/CEO Joe Oliphant beaming from ear to ear.
Passport Academy is a charter school for high school students, located Downtown, comprised of about 140 students. Oliphant told the Courier that the students worked with members of the IAW during the fall semester 2023.
“In addition to creating art through welding, the team at IAW has been inspirational in showing our students how to be creative through technical teamwork, collaboration, and character building,” Oliphant said. “This program has been a tremendous success as our students have learned to maneuver using a community partner such as IAW for career-readiness skill acquisition which will have an impact on their post-secondary pathways as they are nearing obtaining their high school diploma.”
RA’NYA WATKINS
Each member of the student cohort was presented with a certificate in December 2023 to serve as proof of the work they accomplished in the welding classes. Oliphant told the Courier the workshop sessions were held at the IAW in Hazelwood. Students went to the program every Friday for two-hour welding sessions.
“The certificate shows that students have completed an introduction to welding course, which includes technical skills like a familiarity with shop safety and processes, use of hand tools, as well as basic metal working techniques,” said Maura Bainbridge, the assistant director at IAW, in a statement to the Courier. “We know that this experience is attractive to employers.”
STUDENTS SPEAK WITH INSTRUCTORS AT THE IAW IN HAZELWOOD. (PHOTOS BY DAYNA DELGADO)
Welders are those who join metals using a variety of techniques and processes, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Welders can get jobs in construction, maintenance, manufacturing, auto repair, aerospace and ships, among other industries, according to weldingtroop.com. African Americans comprise about 8 percent of the welders in the U.S.
All across the country, there’s been a heightened awareness about “the trades,” or occupations that are more “hands-on” than the typical office or corporate job. The Courier has reported on the increase in students partaking in Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education umbrella of programs, such as RHVAC, Machine Operations and Carpentry. These types of professions offer high school students to get an early jump on what it takes to succeed with courses and later, apprenticeships. Oftentimes, that early knowledge can lead to a lucrative job that can support a family. The trades also can have people with a skill set that travels from city to city, so that they’re not affected as much if one company in a particular city decides to downsize.
The IAW’s executive di rector, Tim Kaulen, is a professional artist specializing in the creation of large, public structures. Over the past 10 years, he has moved the group into a certified non-profit organization with a goal of teaching Pittsburgh-area youth welding “through the lens of a creative arts process.”
The cohort that IAW worked with from Passport Academy is called the “PACS Wolfpack Women Welders.”
SOME OF THE STUDENT COHORT MEMBERS WHO LEARNED WELDING FROM THE IAW. THE STUDENTS ATTEND PASSPORT ACADEMY.
“As the program was not intended to support only women originally,” Kaulen said in a statement provided to the Courier, “the outcomes and intensity of the participants elevated our participation as an organization, and garnered a shared sense of accomplishment from the IAW instructors, to staff and of course the students and family members.”
Kaulen added: “This memory is one that I will hold closely as we plan more youth training services with youth, Passport Academy, and especially in support of women welder opportunities.”
Oliphant said although it was the first year of an all-female cohort, it’s actually the second year of the school’s welding collaboration with IAW. “What started as a field trip has turned into such an exciting experience for our students,” he said. “Students who have engaged in this program have learned important skills that will help them as they finish their schooling at Passport and venture on to look for careers in our region. While seeing the students in action, they have built a great understanding of workforce readiness skills, increased their confidence in using hand tools while getting the opportunity to network with some local employers who came and talked about careers with the students. At the end of the day, this experience may be a great catalyst for our students in understanding the role they play in the future or this region’s workforce.”
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