Many high school students in and around the area of northern Dallas County have begun to take advantage of a specialized course of study that is preparing them for careers right out of school. The course is in welding and is offered through the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) VanKirk Career Center in Perry.

Eddie Diaz, Director of the Perry Center, says there’s currently around 20 students taking part in the welding curriculum, which was identified as a field in dire need of workers when the center was first built. Diaz points out that statistics show a lack of professional welders in the workforce, so the students in the DMACC program are in high demand. In fact, he says most have a job or secondary education lined up right out of high school thanks to the center’s career placement. If that weren’t enough, Diaz says the icing on the cake is that the program is completely free to the high school students.

“As a student at Woodward-Granger, ADM, Dallas Center-Grimes, Panorama, Perry of course, Ogden, (and) we get students from Madrid; these students them as juniors and seniors, they learn a lot, and they can easily transfer to DMACC for their welding program, or sometimes they can just go straight into the workforce without any debt. So that’s exciting to be able to help some of these students!”

Students interested in joining the welding program are encouraged to talk to their school’s guidance counselor, or they can also stop into the VanKirk Center. Diaz adds, there’s also several adults taking the courses, as it’s an affordable way to further their educations. To learn more about the DMACC welding program, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.