In 2024, IAW sparked student curiosity through core programs, educational partnerships, and workforce initiatives, welcoming 207 students for a total of 701 hours of weld training. For many, this was a first exposure to welding and other trades, sparking potential investigation of a future in these fields.
Through IAW’s responsive programming, students found their path, on a journey from curiosity through exploration toward dedication.
We are proud to be redefining vocational education by developing a new Core Program, Weld Scholars. Based on the success of a two-year pilot with Passport Academy Charter School, we launched the Weld Scholars Program in 2024 with a total of five schools. During this program, we delivered our signature introduction to weld training during the school day and partnered with school personnel to provide incentives towards graduation requirements. At IAW each student interprets weld training in the context of their individual interests. Partners report that this step has been crucial for students who have not yet found their niche in high school.
IAW’s broad spectrum of career and creative exposure experiences fueled students’ exploration of their own developing interest through hands-on weld training, guest speakers, and field trips to local institutions.
Summer Welding Bootcamp and After School Welding Lab students heard from industry leaders like Lance Harrell of the Master Builders’ Association (MBA), Adrienne Miles of UPMC Corporate Construction, as well as working artists like Morgan Overton, atiya jones, Tara Fay Coleman, and Corey Carrington. Students visited arts institutions like the Warhol Museum, August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and the Mattress Factory as Azza El Siddique installed her work.
Events like Pizza with The Pros, a networking event with industry professionals, and site visits to a Mosites Construction site, McKamish, Steamfitters Local 449, Ironworkers Local 3, Carpenters Local 432, and Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) illuminated careers in skilled trades and the steps needed to attain these positions.
Dedication is a sign of success at IAW. These students are becoming dedicated to their own individual achievement in pursuit of a self-elected career pathway. In 2024, 19% of students in Core Programs were returning participants, having previously attended an earlier program. Those who have graduated high school joined our FabShop, creating furniture with recovered gymnasium floor from Construction Junction, or bike racks for use in Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
In December, eight students earned their D1.1 Certification through the American Welding Society (AWS), an industry-recognized credential. Recognizing student fortitude, CCAC partnered with IAW to accept dual enrolled high school applicants, counting the D1.1 certification as three credits toward its Welding Technology Certificate.
Other students achieved artistic accolades this year, with fellowships through the University of Pittsburgh and Offroute Art, as well as sculptures displayed in exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and in the Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal.
2025 & Beyond
Your support helps us provide technical training, creative expression, career awareness, and personal development skills to students in our region. We look forward to continued partnerships that empower youth on their paths of self-discovery and we welcome you to join us!
BRING IAW TO YOU
Email us at info@iawpgh.org to request a visit from our new Mobile Welding Lab.
