Aim high with welding

Keighley College offers a range of enterprising welding courses, ranging from apprenticeships to diplomas.

To find out more about the courses, we spoke with course leader Simon Davison.

What welding opportunities are available at the college?

We begin the offering at Level 1 which teaches the basics of welding, right up to Level 3. Apprenticeships are also really popular here, which typically involves learning technical processes and developing practical skills.

What feedback do you get from students?

They love it. We have outstanding attendance across all our courses; it’s fantastic to see so many students excited about coming into college. We have a really nice mixture of male and female students on the courses. We’ve been so proud to see them go on to some amazing jobs, including working in the oil industry and travelling around the world.

What are the key benefits students can take away?

The students can develop their practical skills of using machinery through regular use of our facilities. We are one of few colleges that gives students their own welding bay, which creates a personalised experience, allowing them to master techniques much quicker than if they were sharing.

Due to us having 15 bays in the workshop, we usually have the same number of students per class. This is a great class size which creates a safe environment and good contact time.

The knowledge students gain from our staff is brilliant. All together, we have around 150 years’ experience and come from a variety of interesting backgrounds including teachers, facilitators and inspectors for the Welding Institute.

Why Keighley College?

Keighley College has an incredibly strong reputation in this field, we have been established as an engineering college for over 100 years and are recognised across the region for our engineering disciplines.

It’s one of the strongest colleges in the North of England for welding – we have an impressive range of equipment and many qualified staff members. The apprenticeship programmes we deliver are especially high quality due to our staff being qualified welding inspectors; we champion perfected techniques and excellent quality.

What advice would you give to a student considering studying a welding course at the college?

I would advise them to come over and meet us, we can give them a tour of the workshop and give some insight into what we do. We’ll let students have a taster and try it for themselves. If it is something they’re interested in, we will give them the best route possible to get on board – whether that is an evening class, full-time course or apprenticeship, we will be able to accommodate them.

Take a look at Keighley College welding courses here.