Foundation for the Future of Delaware County Supports Welding Career Prep
MANCHESTER, Iowa—Today, the sparks are flying at West Delaware High School.
For 12 years, Seth Harms, a welding instructor at both the high school and Northeast Iowa Community College has seen the impact industrial tech courses can have for youth.
“It gives our students an opportunity to excel and be the best they can be,” he says. “We want to give the kids as many opportunities as possible to be gainfully employed in this area.”
But the industrial tech room at West Delaware was not always the bustling hub of learning it is today. According to Harms, if someone walked in the industrial tech room 12 years ago, they would have seen only three sets of outdated welding equipment.
This changed when Harms sought help from the Foundation for the Future of Delaware County, which convened a meeting of community leaders.
“We had a meeting with the Foundation about four years ago now and we told them we needed more welders to support our program,” he says. “From there they’ve been a huge supporter.“
Through convening and community organization, NICC donated funds for one and a half welders, Manchester Enterprises donated funds for one welder, and the Foundation donated funds for two and a half welders. Before Harms knew it, West Delaware had five new state-of-the-art welders.
“Without everything coming together the way it did, we would never have the program that we have,” says Harms.
The shared facility at West Delaware allows students to obtain college credits while still in high school and hosts evening courses for adults through the MREP Center, a collaboration between the City of Manchester, Northeast Iowa Community College and Upper Iowa University.
“We’ve got it set up now where our students have an opportunity in two years to take every one of my courses at the college level. They can then go to NICC for one summer and graduate with a welding diploma,” says Harms with a smile. “It is unheard of for high school kids to have that opportunity. I’d love to see these kids just get a job and make more money than me.”
To learn more about the MREP Center, visit www.nicc.edu.
For more information about the Foundation for the Future of Delaware County, visit www.dbqfoundation.org/FFDC.