HANNIBAL, MO. -- Hannibal High School Senior Joey Tabor knows his way around welding. He recently placed fourth out of almost 200 high school welders representing the Hannibal Career and Technical Center at a nationwide competition.
Tabor didn't always know he'd want to spend his life behind a welding mask. But after taking a class two years ago, he found the patience and skills it takes to mesh metal comes naturally.
Tabor said, "It just came easy to me. It was fun and it still is. It's also challenging."
Tabor is one of many success stories here at Hannibal's Welding program. Instructor Bobby Wilson says the welding program has grown in the past four to five years...with classes filling up quickly. He attributes that growth to the increasing demand for welders all over the country.
Why is welding so in demand?
Wilson said, "Welding is in demand because everything you come in contact with on a daily basis has some type of welding process used on it. From computer system with soldered parts in it to the chairs you sit in and autos you drive, everything has welding involved."
A skilled welder's average age today is 52 years and approaching retirement. That means a high demand for skilled welders, and high demand means higher pay...great news for Hannibal welding students like Tabor who are learning manual welding skills, in addition to learning to work with high tech machinery like plasma cutters.
Tabor plans to move on in this field of study. He'll attend the Tulsa Welding School this summer. He hopes to work on pipelines or power plants someday; jobs in which he can travel and make good money doing it.
Tabor said, "It's nice to know I'll have a job all the time and if I can't find one here, I can go somewhere."
More recognition for these students - the Hannibal Welding Fabrication Team of three students recently placed fifth in a pool of 32 teams at a recent competition.
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