San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) has been selected for a pilot program on board the USS Midway Museum. As part of SDCCE’s tuition-free welding certificate program, students are now gaining real-world experience while contributing to the restoration of the Midway. The pilot will run now through December 13, 2023.

“We are so excited to have San Diego College of Continuing Education on board the Midway. This 78-year-old ship is a national icon and to be able to introduce young people to the work we do to maintain the Midway is fantastic,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Terry Kraft, president and CEO of the USS Midway Museum.

Located in Downtown San Diego along the Embarcadero, the Midway, known for its humanitarian missions and innovation in naval aviation when an active-duty aircraft carrier, is now a living history museum named among the nation’s most popular family attractions showcasing 30 restored aircrafts and 10 acres of exhibits.

Student welders from SDCCE are fabricating new pedestrian guard rails and gates encompassing the Midway’s 4-acre flight deck and assisting with various repair and preservation projects while aboard — a unique position to gain a trade skills apprenticeship while in college.

The number of registered apprentices rose 64% since 2012, reported the U.S. Department of Labor. Career Technical Education is becoming the more popular choice for postsecondary students.

SDCCE’s partnership with the Midway is a perfect fit, thanks to the advocacy of Ted Martinez, Jr., PhD, a member of Midway’s board of directors. Although the carrier was commissioned right after World War II in 1945, the ship maintains some of its original build. Midway is currently undergoing major renovations from electrical to metal fabrication, to preserve the ship’s nearly 80-year history.

At no cost, students specialize in one to five free welding certificates: Shielding Metal Arc Welding; Gas Metal and Flux Cored Arc Welding; Gas Tungsten Arc Welding and Pipe Welding. The 100,000 square foot welding facility is located at the Educational Cultural Complex (4343 Ocean View Blvd.) where students prepare for a career in the shipping and aerospace industries.

Students selected for the Midway pilot program are enrolled in advanced Shielding Metal Arc Welding or Gas Metal and Flux Cored Arc Welding courses, have shown exemplary progress, professionalism, and course attendance. The pilot course is taught by Brad Dorschel, Master Welder and SDCCE faculty member, Len Santiago, Midway’s chief engineer, and Marcelo Baltaza, Midway engineer.

Welding on the Midway is Jasmin Hernandez, 19, Mark Silva, 23, Ariana Espinoza, 23, and Liam Mcgeath, 24.

Although the youngest of her peers, Hernandez’ big dream is to work as a traveling welder around the world. While in high school she excelled at track and field, basketball, and la crosse and was encouraged to go to a university. She had a different plan after graduation; welding. “I was always told to go to college, because my dad knew what it was like to struggle and my mom could not finish college because she was taking care of me,” said Hernandez, who enrolled at SDCCE after her senior year in high school. Determination, she said, is key. “Do not let being young stop you. I am getting into the trade at a noticeably early age and will have a lot of career options.”

Before SDCCE, Silva studied Kinesiology at San Diego Mesa College. “I quickly realized the program was not for me and my dad suggested I should weld, he was a welder most of his life doing tig welding for aerospace,” he shared. After trying welding in his father’s garage, Silva was in admiration of the craft and sought out tuition-free welding classes at SDCCE. To his surprise he was given an opportunity to go aboard the USS Midway. “It's an amazing opportunity, I show up every day and learn as much as I can.”

Inspired by her late grandfather, a former welder at NASSCO, Espinoza is following in his footsteps to start a fabrication business. Although the path to become a welder was not always clear as she worked two jobs to support her family after high school.  “I did not know what I wanted to do but I was always passionate about learning how to weld and I know this industry needs more women and that I am making my grandpa proud.” The zero cost to weld at SDCCE was a gift for Espinoza. “Other schools cost a lot of money, there was no way I could pay for classes and have time to work. But learning here on the Midway from SDCCE, I know I want my career to take off here.”

Going to school on the Midway is nostalgic for Mcgeath, who grew up visiting the ship, in awe of its pristine architecture. Before taking up welding, Mcgeath attended Cal Poly Pomona to study engineering. “The experience was not as hands-on as I would have liked. Plus, my scholarship ran out so I would have had to pay for my classes at the university cost,” he shared. When Mcgeath moved to San Diego, he started working in a restaurant and is now becoming a professional welder. “There is a lot you can do learning this trade, in 10 years, I could transition to something else from shipbuilding to custom car fabrication. This school is helping me launch into a long lasting success with lots of choices.”

Hernandez, Silva, Espinoza, and Mcgeath each have a goal to achieve all five welding certificates from SDCCE. Students completing the program are prepared to take the American Welding Society qualification test, permitting their entry into a union apprenticeship.

“San Diego College of Continuing Education’s welding department has long made an impact in the community of Southeastern San Diego with its contributions to the Educational Cultural Complex Civil Rights History Museum, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, the restoration of “The Black Family” Statue and now we are proudly embarking on the critical work to preserve the USS Midway Museum, a landmark of our great nation,” said SDCCE President Tina M. King, Ed.D.

Welding is among the highest paying skilled trades in the country. Welders in San Diego County are earning an average of $73,531 annually, according to the California Employment Development Department, which projects 42,600 job openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers each year, on average, over the decade.

SDCCE and the Midway have plans to expand the partnership to more students enrolled in the college’s HVAC and plumbing certificate programs in the new year.

Enrollment opens Monday, December 4, for the spring 2024 semester. To learn more visit, SDCCE.EDU.