About the course
Many Valley fabricators will not let a welder work on structural jobs without a current qualification test, and many good welders have never taken one. This course prepares experienced welders for a groove-weld plate test on 3/8-inch plate in the vertical (3G) and overhead (4G) positions, using shielded metal arc (stick) or flux-cored arc welding. You choose the process when you register. The test follows a widely used structural steel welding code. Bend specimens are cut and bent in our lab, and the test is witnessed by an independent welding inspector who is not on Porter’s staff.
The first night is a screening weld. If you are not ready for test prep, we will say so and refund all but $100, or move you to a fundamentals section. Every later session is booth time with coaching. The instructor cuts and bends practice coupons each week so you can see your own root fusion before the test does.
Who should enroll
- Welders with at least six months of production or shop experience
- Recent welding program graduates preparing for a first job test
- Maintenance welders whose employer needs them qualified for structural repairs
The course was designed with fabricators in the Northwoods Manufacturing Alliance, who told the Center for Manufacturing Workforce Development that a qualified welder was their hardest hire.
Bring your own helmet, leather jacket and gloves. Your fee covers plate, rod, wire, gas, grinding discs, the screening weld and one test. A retest costs $150.
Dates, format and fee
| Section | Dates | Meets | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | Feb. 1–Apr. 7, 2027 (no class Mar. 15 and 17) | Mon & Wed, 5–9 p.m. | Founders Hall welding lab (12 booths) |
| Test day | Sat., Apr. 10, 2027 | 7 a.m.–3 p.m., assigned times | Founders Hall welding lab |
- Format
- In person, evenings; 18 sessions plus test day
- Contact hours
- 72
- CEUs
- 7.2
- Fee
- $1,950, including consumables and one qualification test
- Seats
- 12
What you will do
- Weeks 1–2: screening weld; joint prep and fit-up; reading a welding procedure specification; machine setup.
- Weeks 3–5: vertical-up root, fill and cap passes; weekly bend tests of practice coupons.
- Weeks 6–8: overhead position; distortion control; common discontinuities and how inspectors find them.
- Weeks 9–10: timed mock tests under test conditions, then a final coaching session.
- Test day: qualification test, cutting and bend testing, results the same afternoon.
In 2025–26, 19 of 23 participants passed on their first attempt, and three more passed on a retest.
Instructor
Joaquin Reyes-Lund is a welding technology instructor who spent fifteen years as a structural and pipeline welder. He also teaches the summer Weld Like a Pro camp for high schoolers (see summer camps 2027) and says the adults in this course take longer to stop asking him to look at their welds.
Employer pricing and registration
The list fee is $1,950 per person. Professional Education invoices employers directly on net-30 terms and provides the completion letter and attendance record that tuition-assistance programs ask for.
| Enrollment | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1–2 people from one employer | $1,950 |
| 3–5 people from one employer, same section | $1,755 (10% off) |
| 6 or more people from one employer | $1,658 (15% off) |
| Porter alumni (not combined with group pricing) | $1,755 |
| Private cohort of up to 16, at your site or ours | Quoted; usually 70–80% of 16 list-price seats |
Employers with fewer than 250 workers in Porter County and the five neighboring counties may qualify for a Valley Workforce Board incumbent-worker grant that covers up to half the fee. We will help with the paperwork. Employers that need welders qualified on their own procedure can ask for a private test day. Register online or by phone. The full policy on cancellations, substitutions and weather is on the Professional Education page.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. This course, its dates, fees, CEUs, instructors and the Valley Workforce Board grant are invented; there is nothing to register for and no certificate to earn. Joaquin Reyes-Lund, the pass rates and the test are invented; nothing on this page qualifies anyone to weld anything.