OLEAN, N.Y. — For Karli Davis, Sydnee Ganoung and Ashlyn Niver, the path to welding began with curiosity — either from watching family members work with metal or wanting to build something with their own hands.
Now the three students are learning the trade through SUNY Jamestown Community College’s Workforce Development Welding Fundamentals program.
As demand for skilled trades workers continues to grow, programs like JCC’s Welding Fundamentals training are helping students build practical career skills. The program is also seeing strong participation from women, reflecting gradual growth in an industry historically dominated by men.
The short-term spring program runs Jan. 12 to April 24 at the Cattaraugus County Campus in Olean and prepares students for entry-level manufacturing careers and additional industry certifications.
“With the skills I gain, I can pursue various jobs such as a welder in construction, manufacturing or repair work,” Niver said. “There are also opportunities to specialize in areas like pipe welding or metal fabrication. I’m excited about the possibilities and confident that this program will prepare me well for a successful career.”
Niver joined the program because she enjoys working with her hands. For Davis and Ganoung, welding runs in the family.
“As a little girl, I always looked up to my dad, who owned a repair shop and was always welding,” Davis said. “I always found it interesting, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I first became truly interested in welding and built a passion for it when my uncle taught me how to weld. I spent quite a few nights welding with him in my family’s shop and discovered I wanted to build a career in welding.”
Ganoung grew up watching her dad and brothers weld.
“I was learning how to weld from my dad, and he said I was really good at it from the start,” she said, “which made me decide to learn everything that came with it and try to make a career with it.”
JCC is seeing more women in its Workforce Development, certificate and degree welding programs. This reflects national data from the American Welding Society, which shows the share of female welders in the United States increased from 4% to 6% between 2010 and 2023.
The college also works to introduce girls and young women to careers in manufacturing and skilled trades. JCC partners with Dream It Do It and Eaton to host Girls in Manufacturing Days on the Jamestown and Cattaraugus County campuses. A March 28 event is scheduled for the downtown Olean campus.
“It’s exciting to have so many women participating and learning hands-on welding processes,” said Kaele Saal, a workforce development recruiter at JCC. “The goal is to give students the training and confidence they need to move into entry-level jobs and start building careers in the trades.”
In the Welding Fundamentals program, students learn foundational skills in gas and arc welding, including gas metal arc (MIG) welding, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), also known as stick welding, gas tungsten arc (TIG) welding, and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW).
“The program teaches you the basics of welding and each process, how they’re all different from each other, which I really enjoy,” Ganoung said.
Completing the program also gives students a head start toward earning a certificate or associate degree in Welding Technology at JCC while working in the field.
The U.S. is facing a shortage of skilled welders, a need that is also seen locally. Trained welders can earn solid starting wages and benefits.
While Davis and Niver are focused on building welding careers after completing the program, Ganoung hopes to one day open her own shop.
For now, the three students are focused on building their skills and learning more each day in the welding shop.
“I really enjoy when I am actively welding once I put the hood down,” Davis said. “My mind focuses on nothing else but the bead that is being laid.”
Ganoung said welding brings a similar sense of focus and satisfaction.
“Welding itself is very calming to me, and it makes it even better when you see the beautiful welds at the end,” she said. “It’s like a reward.”
Visit sunyjcc.edu/Workforce to learn more about JCC's Workforce Development manufacturing training programs.