The American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation is partnering with Vectis Automation to raise funds for scholarships to support welding students. In honor of National Welding Month, Vectis Automation will donate a percentage of each system sale during the month of April to the AWS Foundation. 

The goal of the fundraising initiative is to establish a new scholarship for welding students in Colorado, the home state of Vectis Automation. 

The Vectis Leadership Team (Doug Rhoda, Chairman; Drew Akey, President; and Josh Pawley, VP of Business Development) expressed their support for the effort: “Vectis is honored and thrilled to sponsor this scholarship that will support individuals pursuing careers in welding. Our great nation is literally built with – and will continue to grow upon – welded components. We want to do all we can to empower folks to join & impact this important, fruitful, and exciting career path.” 

“We applaud Vectis Automation for their commitment to the future of the welding industry,” said Monica Pfarr, Executive Director of the AWS Foundation. “This new scholarship will help a student in Colorado each year to achieve his or her dream of a rewarding career in the welding industry.” 

Welding careers play an integral role in keeping people safe and advancing the quality of life across the globe, yet participation in welding and other skilled trades continues to decrease. Since 1996, the American Welding Society has designated the month of April as National Welding Month to bring awareness to the welding industry and its available career paths. To celebrate our vast and diverse welding community a variety of events have been planned throughout the month. For information, visit aws.org/nwm2022. 

###

About Vectis Automation: Vectis Automation, based in Loveland, CO, designs and integrates cobot fabrication solutions to help manufacturers boost productivity amid the skilled labor shortage - by reducing the risk, learning curve, and cost of implementing automation. With 150+ years of combined experience in the robotic welding industry, Vectis’ expert team empowers fabricators to solve their productivity, quality, and labor challenges with easy-to-use cobot tools. For more information about Vectis Automation or to start a conversation, visit www.vectisautomation.com 

###

About AWS: The American Welding Society is the worldwide authority in the development of standards, certifications and educational programming for the welding, allied joining and cutting community. We are a not-for-profit organization committed to connecting the welding industry to our extensive collection of resources, informing our community of technological advancements and developing the next generation of welding professionals with the help of the AWS Foundation. AWS serves nearly 70,000 members worldwide, is composed of 22 Districts with 250 Sections and Student Chapters, and includes close to 2000 volunteers in over 200 technical committees, subcommittees and task groups. For more information, visit the American Welding Society's website at aws.org. 

###

About AWS Foundation: Founded in 1989, the AWS Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Welding Society, the nonprofit organization with a global mission to advance the science, technology, and, application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes. The AWS Foundation works to ensure the growth and development of the welding industry through various initiatives, including, career awareness, scholarship programs, and grants to institutions that offer welding education and training. As a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, we rely on the generosity of our partners who understand the value of welding and its role in building a better, stronger economy.

###