Lincoln Tech adds welding training program to Columbia campus

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Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, a national provider of specialized technical training, will introduce a welding and metal fabrication program at its Columbia campus this fall.

The first class is scheduled to begin Oct. 23 on its campus at 9325 Snowden River Pkwy., marking the first welding program offered by Lincoln Tech in Maryland.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates nearly 130,000 welding jobs will be available nationwide by 2026, including more than 2,000 in Maryland. There is also a projected need for 8,000 more welders in northern Virginia and the District of Columbia, which has nation’s highest average hourly wage for welders, according to data provided by careeronestop.org, a website maintained and updated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the new program, students will practice both MIG and TIG welding processes, as well as Shielded Metal and Flux Core Arc Welding.  The curriculum also includes an OSHA-approved safety course and upon completion, students will be eligible to receive Level One credentials from the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

The Columbia campus is now the seventh Lincoln Tech campus to offer training for welding careers.  The program is also offered at campuses in Denver; East Windsor, Connecticut; Grand Prairie, Texas; Indianapolis; Nashville, Tennessee; and South Plainfield, New Jersey.  Lincoln’s welding programs nationwide are supported by Miller Electric, which provides industry-standard equipment for student training.