FAIRFIELD CENTRAL – Inside the welding shop at the Fairfield Career & Technology Center, the work is equal parts skill, focus and grit. Sparks fly, face shields drop and students shape molten metal into useful objects.
For Fairfield Central High School seniors London Robertson and Trinity Adams, the only girls of about 40 students enrolled in the three-year program, welding has been a confidence-builder and creative outlet in a space that has traditionally been male-dominated. They’re both starting the second semester of the program.
“I love everything about welding,” Robertson said. “It makes me feel like I can do anything. I take a lot of pride in my projects. And the class is great – it’s really fun.”
“I’m more of an artistic person actually; I did band and dancing,” Adams said. “What really got me interested in welding was the money! Now that I’m learning the basics of welding, I really do like it a lot.
“But it can be complicated,” she said. “Like right now we’re doing overhead welding. It’s hard getting the metal to go where it needs to be.”
“It’s a pretty good challenge,” Robertson agreed. “Basically, you have a piece of metal that you have to tack together and put above your head, and you’ve got to weld like that. It’s a little hard,” she said with a laugh. “My arms, they be killing me.”
The work can be exacting.
“There are different angles to put the piece you’re working on,” Adams said. “The rods you have to use, turning on the machines. You have to do things in a specific way, or it’s not going to turn out right at all.”
“Trinity takes her time and is more of a perfectionist,” said instructor David Wilkes. “London has a lot of drive and will – she really wants to do this and learns quickly. Both girls are a great fit in the class.”
Wilkes, a ’97 FCHS graduate, has taught welding at the FC&TC since 2018 and has extensive experience in the industry.
“Our program has state-of-the-art equipment, such as a CNC plasma cutter,” he said. “These are brand new machines, just like what graduates will see in the workforce. Students are learning things like oxy-fuel cutting, shielded metal arc welding (aka stick welding) and fillet welds in all positions. By the time a student finishes the program, they’ll have a foundation in all four major welding processes and will be ready for an entry-level job.”
Robertson said she was taken aback when she arrived for class and saw it was “a whole bunch of boys.” She was relieved to notice another girl in the class, and the two bonded quickly. But it turned out not to be an intimidating environment after all.
“The guys in the class don’t judge,” Adams said. “There’s no type of feelings about a female being in the classroom.”
“We fit right in,” Robertson agreed.
What does the future hold for these apprentice welders?
“That’s something I’m still trying to decide on,” Robertson said. “I want to be a veterinarian, but I can see this being a side plan.”
“If I continue with welding,” Adams said, “I’d be interested in the creative side of welding, like maybe creating things to sell.”
Whatever their path, welding has strengthened their skill sets and self-assurance.
“I took pictures of the beads I made, because I was really proud of them,” Robertson said. “My grandad sent the pictures to a welding inspector he knows, and he said, ‘That’s pretty good.’ That made me feel really good about my welds.”
“It can be frustrating at times, when you think you’re behind, or that you’re doing it wrong. At first, I didn’t think I was going to get it,” Adams said. “But I am.”