In-Demand Welding Careers and Training Opportunities Featured at Aug. 1 Expo

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO – Welders are in great demand in the region and across the nation! Learn about exciting opportunities at the Welding Career & Training Expo from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at the Missouri Job Center of St. Charles County.

Organized by the St. Charles County Department of Workforce & Business Development and St. Charles Community College, the expo will include stations for attendees to try a virtual welder, meet with instructors and employers, and learn about training opportunities and scholarships. Attendees also can win prizes and enjoy light refreshments.
“The American Welding Society estimates there will be a shortage of nearly 300,000 welders in the U.S. by 2020,” says Scott J. Drachnik, Director of the County’s Workforce & Business Development Department. “Currently there are companies throughout St. Charles County and the St. Louis region eager to hire experienced welders or ready to train new welders. Expo attendees can find out about all the opportunities available and gain a better understanding of what it’s like to work in this field.”

To register or for more information about the Welding Career & Training Expo, contact Fay Aubuchon at 636-922-8546 or faubuchon@stchas.edu.
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Additionally, the Missouri Job Center of St. Charles County and St. Charles Community College provide the following related opportunities:

• The Missouri Job Center of St. Charles County offers a manufacturing apprenticeship program that helps pay for training costs and wage reimbursements for people interested in starting or advancing in a welding career. For more information, visit sccmo.org/Apprenticeship or contact Vicki Swartzenberg at 636-255-6060, ext. 5250, or vswartzenberg@stchas.edu.
• Welding classes at St. Charles Community College start in August and are certified by the American Welding Society. A Basic Welding Certificate can be earned in 16 weeks or an associate’s degree in Advanced Welding after four semesters. For more information, visit stchas.edu or contact Fay Aubuchon at 636-922-8546 or faubuchon@stchas.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Mary Enger, Director of Communications, 636-949-7900, ext. 1856, menger@sccmo.org


About St. Charles County:
Founded in 1812, St. Charles County is one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri, and the state’s third largest county in both population and economic share. St. Charles County consistently ranks one of the healthiest places to live in Missouri in the County Health Rankings report published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. It is home to 12 scenic county parks encompassing more than 2,800 acres with additional land under development and more in reserve for future development.
                                           
With a population of 385,840, St Charles County is home to large employers including General Motors, Citi, MasterCard Worldwide and Boeing. It is ranked among the top 25 counties in the nation in high-tech job growth by the Progressive Policy Institute and consistently has the lowest unemployment rate in the Metropolitan St. Louis area.
 
St. Charles County Government employs nearly 1,100 in more than 30 departments and offices, who work to make the county an excellent place to live, work and shop. For more information, please visit sccmo.org.