For the rodeo coming to the Marinette and Sturgeon Bay campuses of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College this fall, you will exchange the cowboy hat and lasso for a mask and a welding machine. Last week, NWTC that it had received a nearly $580,000 grant from the Department of Navy’s (DoN) Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education and Workforce Program to help the school attract and grow a new talent pool to address the workforce gap in the area’s shipbuilding industry. According to the American Welding Society, an estimated 330,00 new welding professionals will be needed by 2028, partly to replace the approximately 159,000 welders approaching retirement. With the funding, NWTC will launch the Welding Rodeo: Experiences in STEM Education program, including career fairs, hands-on workshops, competitions, and more. “As the maritime sector grows, NWTC remains at the forefront of this expansion. Yet, to navigate the industry’s evolving landscape, we need to anticipate and embrace the challenges ahead,” said Meridith Jaeger, NWTC Vice President of College Advancement. This is the latest move that NWTC has made to help local shipyards address their needs. Last July, NWTC Sturgeon Bay expanded its partnership with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, which included designing a specialized training program for FBS employees to improve their welding and pipefitting techniques. The news came before the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported on Friday that the Department of Defense awarded Fincantieri Marinette Marine a $1 billion contract to build two Constellation-class frigates for the U.S. Navy. The Welding Rodeo is projected to begin this fall with annual events in both Marinette and Sturgeon Bay.