Hi! My name is Vanja, and I'm a teacher in welding, cutting and joining methods in Sweden. Welding has been my profession for the past 20 years, and I have been teaching for 12 years. The pictures I'm going to show you are from Tingsholmsgymnasiet in Ulricehamn, Sweden. I don't work there at the moment, but I made a few practice weeks there, and enjoyed it a whole lot! The industrial technology programme is just one of many programmes at Tingsholm. The students learn about different techniques, and milling and welding is just two of them.
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Milling and turning machines in the main workshop at Tingsholm,
early in the morning before the students arrive... |
The school puts a lot of effort into introducing the students into new technology. I know it doesnt look like that on the pictures, but that's the truth. The students gets to learn a lot about robotics, CNC, CAD and CAD/CAM, and in my opinion quite little about the actual craftmanship behind the technology, but hey, I'm probably just old fashioned! ;)
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CNC milling and turning machines.
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The welding methods that are taught are mig/mag, tig, mma and oxyacetylenewelding. This part of the programme is merely "just for trying", so that the students gets an idea of what it's all about.
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| Just a glimpse of the welding workshop. Neat, isn't it? |
There are aproximately 19000 welders in Sweden and there are room for more. The need for educated welders are huge.
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| A student tries spray arc welding with metal core wire. |
Many of the students gets employed after graduation, and some of them gets extra job at summer holidays and weekends even before that. I noticed, during my practice weeks, that the students really seemed to enjoy their education. Most of them were in good mood most of the time, paid attention to their teachers, and performed really well during their lessons. As I have been teaching for a few years now, I've seen both ups and downs, and kids who don't enjoy school much at all. That was not the case at this programme though, and I'm happy for that.
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| Nice try! Spray arc welding with metal core wire is a sight for sore eyes. |
How do you think that the best way to introduce someone to a new practical moment? I'm thinking if they should try it alone or with a friend? and why?
ReplyDeleteHello Kristian. Introducing new students to welding by letting them work in pairs is a great way to do it, because first I show them the method, and then they can watch each other. But that's just while introducing. I know that many schools and eductators let the students work in pairs through their whole eductaion, but I don't think that's good, because I believe that the time to practice and get to know the machines and the melting procedure without being interrupted by the one next in line, is necessary to become a good welder (or any craftsman), since the time in school and the workshop is limited.
DeleteHi Vanja,
DeleteYes i agree! I can see the same thing with my students when they practise reversing on the yard!
If they have a friend in the truck they often starts to play around and they loose focus.
Hello Vanja
ReplyDeleteThis looks interesting. It sounds like you enjoy teaching.
I am very interested in your point that:
"The students gets to learn a lot about robotics, CNC, CAD and CAD/CAM, and in my opinion quite little about the actual craftmanship behind the technology"
If you were in charge of the course what changes would you make to it? And why would you make those changes?
Susanne
Hello Susanne. I'm sorry to say that it would make no difference if I was in charge of the courses, because the "technology race" isn't the teachers choice, rather than a political guideline and a demand from the manucaturers. When students got to spend more time learning conventional machines in the 90'ies, the employers complained that the students knew too little about new technology. When the students got to spend their time in school with new technology, the employers complains that the students don't know enough about the craftmanship.
DeleteMy opinion about this is that the employers needs to realize that the students time in school are limited, and they can only learn so much. The best way to spend that time is to let them "learn how to crawl, before they can walk", in meaning that they get a proper and stable basic education, and then the employer can do what it takes to implement them into their business themselves.
Hello Vanja. It looks interesting but how is it to work with welding and the smoke? I guess that one must have good ventilation to protect one self from dedseases?
ReplyDeleteHello Olof. The smoke is composed of metal particles, shielding gas fumes, minerals and stuff, that comes from the material theyre welding, and also from the coated electrode used in MMA-welding. As you can see in the picture of the neat little welding workshop, there are good ventilation, and the smoke is seldom a problem for the welder.
DeleteHello Vanja.
DeleteI asked becuase I have done a mesuring in industry that shows that in one cubic cemtemeters of air there is about five to eight thousend particels with out any welding ore other work going on. When the work was started we found about, almost, one milion particels per cubic centemeter in air. That is some thing to be awere about....
///Olof
Thank you Olof, I will definately make sure that the students take that into consideration before making their choice of future profession ;) During the time of that experiment, did you also measure the particle density in a ordniary house environment, outdoor countryside environment, and outdoor city environment, to have data to compare the health issues with?
DeleteTjabba Vanja! How much welding courses, did the students have compared to metal processing?
ReplyDeleteHallå Tommy, as far as I know they only do welding as a part that is included in the same courses that the milling and grinding courses: "Produktion equipment 1 and 2". The rest of the courses are such as cad, cad/cam, computerized produktion, and a lot of theoretical courses such as "the man and the industry" and such.
DeleteDo you think the welding would be a major part of the courses than now?
DeleteI'm not really sure what you are asking Tommy, but if you mean that if I think that the school should offer more welding courses, then the answer is yes! And if I start to work there after the summer, they sure will ;)
DeleteWhat attitude do the students have to there safety equipment?
ReplyDeleteHello again Kristian. Most of the time there's no problem at all making them use the safety equipment. I always introduce new students to welding by having a lesson in health and safety, so that they understand why it's necessary to respect the health issues and use the safety equipment. The biggest problem, I believe , is when "daddy says", and it turns out that daddy doesn't have a clue of what hes talking about. Those studen't need a bit more drilling, but it usually turns out okay in the end ;)
DeleteGreat Vanja!
DeleteThanks for the tip, some of my students get a bit cranky when they need to use a helmet on when they do crane exercise, and they hate the shoes with toe protection! I don't understand it but that might be the answer! maybe no one told them about the risk of not wearing safety shoes?
You can tell Mr. Noone that he's welcome to contact me any time, and I will tell him a few things ;) In any case, I think it's far better to have that first lesson as a speach, with the litterature merely as a support with pictures, and make it vivid and relevant by telling them tales and anectodes from real situations.
DeleteAbsolutely! thank you for that.
DeleteHello Vanja. I wonder if the students are awere of the heltheffects due to welding smoke?
ReplyDeleteHello again Olof, if they aren't aware of it when they attend, they sure are when they leave :)
DeleteHello Vanja. Nice presentation and good pictures.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a student wants to have a special license for example, welding of pressure vessels, can you or your school provide students with it then?
Henric
Hello Henric, thank you for the credit. I'm quite sure that every single one of the students would love to get a welding certificate as a result of their education, but I'm affraid that is not the case at Tingsholm. At many other schools and most other welding courses for grown ups, they do. Now I'm not absolutely sure, maybe it is, in some way, possible at Tingsholm as well, but I never heard anything about it while I was there, and the students get to weld too little, to be able to achieve it, in my opinion.
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