UTI Bloomfield hosts grand opening of its welding program

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BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Universal Technical Institute’s Bloomfield campus leadership joined elected officials from Essex County, instructors, employers and students to celebrate the recent opening of UTI’s Welding Technology Training Program. The 36-week program teaches students the soft and hard skills they need for welding in careers in industries ranging from automotive fabrication to construction.

“Welding complements our core technician programs and will give our students and graduates opportunities in an even greater range of industries,” UTI-Bloomfield President Shawn Alexander said. “Our country needs welders to build bridges, highways, office buildings, pipelines, power plants, vehicles and even spacecraft. They are in fact the backbone of our economy. We’re looking forward to working closely with our many employer partners as we train and prepare the next generation of welders for future careers.”

“Over the past several years UTI-Bloomfield has helped launch the careers of so many new technicians, while also being a great friend to the county and local community,” Essex County Commissioner Carlos Pomares said. “Their new welding program continues this tradition of the school opening up new, alternative and promising career paths for the young people in our county and throughout the region.”

The grand opening also featured a tour of the new welding lab, which includes Lincoln Electric’s Virtual Reality Arc Welding Trainers, also known as VRTEX welding simulators, used by UTI-Bloomfield to train future welders. 

Bloomfield’s welding program launched in July 2021 and is UTI’s seventh, with two additional programs launching at UTI campuses in 2022. The program includes hands-on training and instruction through a comprehensive curriculum developed in collaboration with Lincoln Electric, a global leader in the welding industry. The first class of UTI-Bloomfield welding students is set to graduate this April.

Photos Courtesy of Kathleen O’Brien