Black Hills Welding Academy

WELDING THE FUTURE

TOMMY AND BRIANNA MYERS OPEN WELDING ACADEMY TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR WORKFORCE

STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI // PHOTOS BY SHILOH FRANCIS

The first time Tommy Myers picked up a welder, he knew he had found his path. Mostly self-taught, the Rapid City native spent the next 15 years perfecting his skill, including earning his Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and Educator at the age of 26, a rare designation, especially for someone so young.

His passion for welding and helping others learn the trade inspired Tommy and his wife Brianna to embark on a new adventure. The two recently welcomed their first students to the Great Plains Welding Academy, the only customized training facility in the region.

“The idea behind this is just to help all those people learn welding the way Tommy did in an accelerated time,” Brianna said. “You are finding kids who don’t want to go to school or don’t know what they are doing in the field. We want students to come out of here being experts.”

After completing the 240-credit hours, students will have four qualifications in two processes. “My curriculum is based on the D 1.1 Structural Steel Code,” Tommy said. “We are going to treat this more as a job than a school for them so when they get out into the field, it is not as big of a shock factor when they are told to do something.”

AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO HAVE JOY OUT OF IT AND ARE MAKING AN IMPACT AND DOING THE THINGS WE ORIGINALLY SET OUT TO DO, THEN WE WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Along with the hands-on class instruction, Tommy, who continues to run his own company, will take the students to job sites with him.

Creating their own welding academy has been a dream in the making for a while.

“When I was in school and working for True North is where I really got my true passion for teaching people what I know. What really sets us apart from traditional trade schools is the shortterm training. We don’t have elective classes. It is 100 percent shop time.”

Tommy worked as a welder for several local companies and spent four years as an instructor at a welding institute that has since closed. The couple started getting serious about the concept earlier this year and reached out to the South Dakota Department of Labor to get the process started.

Their hope is to train the students and get them back into the workforce as soon as possible. “It is a go-at-your-own-pace style. The curriculum is based off the individual not the entire class,” Tommy said,

Brianna and Tommy have been contacted by high schools as well as local and regional companies looking to partner with them. With the program customized to the individual, students can continue to work while gaining the additional skills and knowledge from the academy.

As the only contracting CWI in Rapid City, Tommy sees the need for a program like this in the community.

He tests welders on their skills and knowledge and must fail some. “They are not up to par to take the qualification test that our students will take.”

And both Brianna and Tommy said qualified welders are highly sought-after employees and are needed in nearly every field. “There are a lot of jobs, especially in today’s world,” Brianna said. “You can take welding everywhere.”

THERE ARE A LOT OF JOBS, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY’S WORLD, YOU CAN TAKE WELDING EVERYWHERE.

While most of the program is in-the-shop training, the couple will also help students work on resumes and interviews. “We would hate for them to have the skills but be too unsure or afraid to do anything else,” Brianna said.

The last year has been a whirlwind for Brianna and Tommy.

The young couple sold their house, moving their family of five to a small cabin outside of Sturgis. Brianna quit her successful career in marketing to spend more time with her family and now the two are opening the Great Plains Welding Academy.

Brianna and Tommy see a lot of potential in the academy and tweak their business plan often. They are excited to see the growth of the academy and its benefit to the community’s workforce.

“As long as we continue to have joy out of it and are making an impact and doing the things we originally set out to do, then we will keep moving forward.”

For more information or to enroll in the Great Plains Welding Academy go to www.greatplainsweldingacademy.com