News

January 17, 2019

Adult Capital Region BOCES Welding Student Wins National Scholarship

A Capital Region BOCES adult student looking to change careers and in the process shatter conceptions of male and female jobs has won a national welding scholarship.

Sandra Trewhella will receive a $1,000 American Welding Society scholarship this year recognizing her abilities and passion to become a welder.

“It’s amazing, I am so excited,” said Trewhella, of Catskill.

Since September, Trewhella, who currently works in manufacturing in the textiles industry, has spent three afternoons a week at the Capital Region BOCES Albany campus learning the latest in orbital welding, shielded metal arc (stick) welding, pipe welding, manual air carbon arc cutting and much more.

“I am looking for a new career. I am currently a spring printer, but I want to do something different. I have never welded before, but I like the craftsmanship of welding and making something,” said Trewhella.

Trewhella is one 13 students enrolled in the current 10-month, 500-hour program that teaches adults the skills necessary to enter the workforce and the advanced skills sought after by employers.

“I feel we are learning the full gambit of what it takes to make it in this career,” she said.

She will graduate in June, having earned the certificates necessary to open doors in the industry where a shortage of workers has, for some businesses, stymied business growth. She will also enter a field where only approximately 3 percent of welders are female.

“It’s fun and I am definitely learning,” Trewhella said of the class. “I don’t think being a women in welding is an issue.”

It certainly isn’t at BOCES where each year female students enroll in the high school and adult welding programs and just three years ago anther female, 2015 Berne-Knox-Westerlo graduate Schuyler Van Buren won the same scholarship.

For more information on the adult welding program or the multitude of other adult programs, from culinary to barbering, visit: https://www.capitalregionboces.org/adult-education/classes-programs/