“The REALWELD Trainer allows you to help a student focus on technique but also teach them about the
variables needed to make a ‘good’ weld,” says Scott Laslo, assistant professor and coordinator of the Skilled Trades department at Columbus State Community College.

Community colleges approach workforce development from both crucial sides of the equation – educating tomorrow’s future employees and helping today’s workers improve upon their existing skillsets. The result – a better trained, more knowledgeable worker at all phases of the local employment cycle.

This particularly holds true when it comes to educating workers in the skilled trades, whether they are on a construction site or working in an advanced manufacturing facility. At Columbus State Community College (CSCC) in Columbus, Ohio, curriculum increasingly incorporates new technologies designed to narrow the skills gap, and strengthen the relationship between the school, its 26,000 students and the local employers it serves.

The college recently installed Lincoln Electric’s REALWELD® Trainer in its welding lab. The REALWELD system uses motion-capture technology to objectively analyze and score welding technique while the user performs real arc-on welds or practices arc-off welds. The system delivers wide-reaching benefits from its first use.