Welding Association Seeks Curriculum Standardization

The Canadian Welding Association’s (CWA) annual Welding Educators Conference, held recently at Nova Scotia Community College’s Akerly Campus in Dartmouth, focused on welding education and the standardization of welding curriculum.

“I am very pleased with the turnout, the presentations, and the roundtable discussions,” said Dan Tadic, executive director. “Every year the attendance continues to grow and educators are becoming more engaged, which are all great indicators of the importance of this type of conference.”

According to Tadic, this year’s main topic of focus and debate was welding curriculum standardization.

“There has been some progress on this front; however, there continues to be gaps that need to be addressed, and it was very clear during roundtable discussions regarding this topic that all educators are onboard and would like to see change,” he said.

One of the presenters, Lorraine Coulombe, chair of the Interprovincial Standards and Examination Committee (ISEC), went into detail of new initiatives being undertaken by the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship (CCDA) and the importance of harmonization in today’s economic climate. She also highlighted how CCDA is working collectively with provinces and territories to modernize, grow, and standardize curriculum at postsecondary institutions across Canada, as well as the steady growth of the Red Seal program.

A presentation from Deborah Mates, director of the CWA Foundation, informed attendees how the foundation supports all levels of education across the country and how bursaries and scholarships for students interested in pursuing welding careers are disbursed.

“We want to ensure that students who are passionate about welding can attain a higher education and become successful in the profession,” she said. “Through our bursary and scholarship programs we want to make a difference, and this is just one way we’re giving back.”

www.cwa-acs.org