AWS Foundation Donations

We Need Your Help!

In a recent survey of AWS Members, the shortage of welding personal was identified as the top external threat facing our industry and the Society.  In the last decade, the American Welding Society Foundation has had great success in attracting young people to the profession and increasing enrollment at welding schools across the country.

However, with 375,000 welding professionals needed by 2022, we need your help to do more.  100% of your contribution to the AWS Foundation will go directly towards Workforce Development programs and initiatives, which include but are not limited to:

• Careers in Welding Mobile Exhibit– This 53-foot expandable trailer featuring virtual welders and career information visit large events across the country 18 weeks every year.  More than 200,000 people have visited the exhibit since 2012.

• CareersinWelding.com- website – With a career assessment tool, salary data, education opportunities, scholarship information and more, this website inspires and educates the next generation about the numerous career opportunities available in the welding industry.

• Targeted articles, videos, and blog posts at WeldingDigest.com, the Welding Journal, and other media channels.

• Welding Competitions, including SkillsUSA.

In addition to these workforce development efforts, the AWS Foundation awards more than $1.4 million annually in student scholarships, grants to welding schools, graduate-level welding research, and much more.  Learn more about the AWS Foundation at www.aws.org/foundation.