You could have seen camaraderie and art go hand in hand at the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Welding Rodeo in Sturgeon Bay on Thursday. Welding teams from Green Bay Preble High School, TTX, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, and El-Na Farms participated in the contest, which concluded when their pieces of art were auctioned off to support scholarships. The day provided an opportunity for TTX Vice President of Special Projects, Bradley Andreae, to return to his roots. He said that not many of the employees realized that he started his career at TTX in the shop, which included some welding. It was exciting for him to spend the day with people who have been there for as short as three months and others who have been there for close to 40 years.

A short walk away from TTX’s two teams were a pair of squads from Green Bay Preble High School. Seniors Michael Held and Carlos Escobedo were introduced to welding early in their high school careers, and both have high ambitions to continue with it for years to come.

Funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Navy, the NWTC Welding Rodeo was established to connect residents with career opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Welding is especially an in-demand career due to an expected shortage of 360,000 welders by 2027 because of retirements and industry growth.