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The American Welding Society Foundation has awarded West Georgia Technical College an AWS Foundation Welding Workforce Grant for $13,374.55 to purchase new equipment for the LaGrange Campus Welding Program.

The grant builds on a $300,000 renovation of the restrooms, locker room and breakroom in the welding facility this year and will outfit additional welding booths to allow more students in the program.

“We are extremely grateful for the support and recognition of the American Welding Society,” WGTC President Dr. Julie Post said. “Employers in our area need welders, and we are working hard to increase our capacity so we can meet their needs with well-trained and career-ready graduates.”

The LaGrange welding lab currently runs three classes per day in its 17 welding booths. The grant will outfit two additional welding booths, allowing the program to take six additional students per semester.

“West Georgia Technical College is committed to providing excellent facilities designed for state-of-the-art instruction in Welding and Joining Technology,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Kristen Douglas said. “This grant allows us to add two additional welding booths to our lab, expanding capacity and helping us meet the needs of area industry for additional highly skilled employees.”

West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers more than 140 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is one of the largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit westgatech.edu