Both EWI and The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) recognize the need for highly skilled manual welders. EWI Lab Services believes that if you are a skilled manual welder then the ability to operate automated welding equipment will soon follow, however does it make you a skilled manual welder if you are an ace at operating automated welding equipment? The answer is NO! EWI Lab Services provide consumable qualification testing services to several consumable manufactures and this type of service requires a very skilled manual welder. EWI is fortunate to have excellent welding technicians but the need to have this talent still remains high in the U.S. industrial base.
The BSA in December is adding its latest merit badge, welding. http://www.aws.org/weldingbadge/ . It may just be ironic that BSA Eagle Scout Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” spoke before a Congress subcommittee about the very topic of needing more skilled trades in the labor force.
As the world becomes more reliable on technology to run our everyday lives we tend to forget about where the necessities of life come from. It is critical to the growth of our economy that our youth are involved with some of the “old school” technologies that have helped make this country great. EWI and its staff are dedicated to the advancement of material joining technologies and it is comforting to know that community organizations such as the BSA recognize the importance of welding. This merit badge may be an integral component by assisting in the development of young minds that may someday select a career in the welding or aligned field.