LIBERTY, NY — On October 7, several students enrolled in the Sullivan BOCES welding program made the sparks fly, as they demonstrated the art of fusing pieces of steel together during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the BOCES Career & Technical Education Center (CTE).

Dr. Robert Dufour, district superintendent and CEO of Sullivan BOCES, was the lead speaker. During his address to the assembly, he said that the local BOCES was focused on providing “opportunities for the students of Sullivan County.” When it came to programs such as welding though the CTE, he said, “We try to invest our money in those programs that are growing.”

Dufour explained that when he arrived here, “Our welding program was on its deathbed, and enrollment was down.” But under the leadership of a new instructor “who really engaged the students, our enrollment went through the roof.” And with the recent completion of a $1 million total rebuild of the welding lab, what was described as a state-of-the-art welding facility was created.

It offers a wide range of classes to 50 high school students from all eight component districts, divided equally among morning and afternoon sessions. 

“We gutted the entire space and completely retrofitted in into a modern space, a state-of-the art learning facility,” Dufour said.

BOCES worked with the county and Sullivan County Workforce Development, and in the fall of 2023, nine adults learned welding. According to Dufour, they had “jobs lined up before they walked out the door with welding certifications.”

Other speakers included Linda Berkowicz, BOCES board president; Aileen Gunther, NYS Assembly; Peter Oberacker, NYS Senate; Nadia Rajsz, chair of the Sullivan County Legislature; Kathleen Wilcox, principal of the CTE; Nicholas Conklin, head welding instructor; and Wyatt Green, a welding student from Liberty High School.

Of behalf of the Sullivan County Legislature, Rajsz said, “We are very lucky to have Sullivan BOCES here, as every school day they make a huge difference in the lives of students across Sullivan County. And they’re constantly looking for ways to do that even better—like this welding lab… It’s critical that we prepare students for the working world, and it’s especially important that we offer training to people who want to work with their hands.” 

Several students in the welding program demonstrated the art of welding: Cahl Darling (Livingston Manor), Landen Boyd (Sullivan West), Logan Park (Livingston Manor) and Sanna Woytowick (Monticello, 2024 graduate).

Nicholas Conklin, who attended BOCES in Delaware County, serves as a head instructor of the welding program, assisted by teaching assistant Melinda Coney.

According to Conklin, last year Sullivan BOCES had 44 students (35 boys and nine girls) while this year’s enrollment has a total of 50 students, including five girls.

“It’s amazing,” he said of the space’s transformation. “When I first started, the welders were like something in somebody’s garage… now we have top-of-the-line welders.” 

Wyatt Green, a welding student program from Liberty High School, is one of Sullivan BOCES’s success stories, and was the student speaker during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Afterward, he talked about attending the welding program, noting that at the age of five weeks, he had an eye removed due to a rare form of cancer, a factor he said impacted his ability to learn in a traditional classroom setting.

“I learn better when it’s hands-on stuff,” explained Green. “When I’m in normal school, my grades are bad. I can’t really learn there, not sitting down staring at a book and writing on paper, but when I’m here in the shop, I’ve got my hands on everything.”

“This is much better for me,” he said of the BOCES welding program. Upon graduation, “I want to be a pipeline welder.”

On nights, weekends and during the summer, Sullivan BOCES offers welding certification classes to adult learners. 

For information about the Sullivan BOCES welding program, offered at the Career & Technical Education Center, 52 Ferndale-Loomis Rd. in Liberty, visit www.scboces.org/CTE or call 845/295-4152.

Building a successful career in welding

LIBERTY, NY – On October 7, Sullivan BOCES held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a state-of-the-art welding lab, located at their Career & Technical Education Center.

According to the information brochure titled “Build Your Career in Welding”, welding “is one of the few career choices that are always in high demand. Welders are needed in almost all industries… Endless opportunities keep fueling the demand,” such as in aerospace, agriculture, automotive manufacture and repair, fabrication, general manufacturing, industrial, and oil and gas extraction pipelines. Jobs include plumbing and pipe welding, steel construction iron worker, sheet metal worker, structural worker and underwater welding.

The first year of the welding program instructs students in welding safety and the various welding processes.

In the second year, students learn advanced techniques in preparation for welding certificates, including fabrication. As the “blend of fabrication and welding expands, [so does] student knowledge to manufacture and create unique welding designs.”

Donna Hemmer, Sullivan BOCES director of communication, listed a few recent success stories. 

Dan Adams (Eldred) started as a third-shift welder in a factory, and is now the mechanical manager for LP Cylinder in Shohola, PA.

Bretten Benzenburg (Monticello) left BOCES to attend Divers Institute of Technology to study underwater welding, and is currently in Virginia Beach “doing just that.”

Jacob Hannold (Monticello) graduated from the Sullivan BOCES welding program and enrolled at the Hobart Welding School in Ohio. He “liked it so much that he stayed there and is employed as a welder.”

Zaylee Cox (Roscoe) is taking classes in welding at SUNY Delhi.

Caleb Hovis (Monticello) is studying at Penn Tech to become a welding engineer.

Gavin Rickle (Eldred) enrolled at Ohio Technical College for welding.

Jake Parks (Liberty) is studying welding at SUNY Delhi.

Andre Nowrouzi (Sullivan West) is enrolled at SUNY Delhi for welding.

Michael Davies (Monticello) is studying welding at Alfred State.