July 27, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – GRCC Workforce Training programs provide in-demand skills leading to rewarding careers. Each Wednesday we’ll meet students who are heading down an educational pathway and changing their lives by earning occupational certificates.
Brigham Clark said he was living at home and working at a fast food restaurant, but was craving something different.
“I’m the kind of person that needs to keep busy all the time so that I stay out of trouble,” he said. “Honestly, what attracted me to welding was the danger of it. I’m a huge adrenaline junkie and this has just the right mix of fire and metal to keep me engaged.
The GRCC Metallica Scholars Welding Bootcamp offers people the opportunity to gain skills for entry level welding positions. It is a short-term program to get welders work in West Michigan, with the goal of helping students grow into apprenticeships or other learning opportunities within the welding field.
“I’m young, but I was super stressed about what I was going to do with my life. I think a lot of us feel that way,” Clark said. “Now that I have some direction, I feel a little more relaxed. I feel like I have a life I can enjoy and look forward to.
The program goal is to build an accessible pathway into the field of welding with a focus of producing ready-to-work welders for Kent County companies. This program works to attract, retain, and graduate individuals of different genders and racial/ethnic backgrounds to welding careers.
“When I first started the class, I wasn’t too sure about it. I’m not artistic and I was kind of frustrated. Then I started practicing with Matt, another student. We became super competitive and that made it so fun! We really pushed each other to get better all the time.
“The Metallica scholarship really made this all possible. It’s so cool to tell others that ‘hey, Metallica paid for my training!” Clark is currently working as a welder at Ram-Pak Industries.
GRCC this month was awarded a third grant from Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges, extending a program focusing on providing in-demand career skills to underserved populations, changing lives.
To qualify for the programs, participants must be 18 years of age, have a high school diploma/GED, and be able to work in the United States. For more information go to grcc.edu/metallica.