The partnership between Lorain County Community College (LCCC) and The Ohio State university (OSU) was awarded a collaborative grant by the Division of Undergraduate education at the NSF to work on the preparation of 21stCentury Welding and Materials Joining Technicians (DUE-0302792 & DUE-0302803).

The grant will work on topics and issues associated with the education of welders, welding technicians, and welding engineers. Industry input and support will play an important role in the success of the grant.

The focus of the grant is in the following areas:

• To develop a curriculum and curricular model that will prepare welding / material joining technicians for manufacturing jobs in the 21st century.
   

• Provide a core competency in the various areas of welding technology - processes, materials, design, and inspection, while allowing flexibility for training students to meet the needs of the local manufacturing community.
   

•  The initial project will develop a curricular model that can be emulated by other two-year colleges for the training of welding technicians
   

•  First step in a longer term strategy that will eventually lead to the development of a national center