Welding Digest

Wyatt Hansen of Altonah, Utah, was selected as the official U.S. welding competitor for the 2024 WorldSkills Competition, which takes place September 10–15 in Lyon, France. 

His technical expert is Ray Connolly. Hansen was the winner of the USA Weld Trials Final Weld-Off. 

“The feeling of winning and being able to represent the U.S. in Lyon, France, is just starting to set in,” Hansen said. “I’m super excited and a little nervous. I will be traveling to Vernal, Utah, and I will be training with Chandler [Vincent], Ray [Connolly], and Jordan [Packer]. They are all previous competitors, and they are also part of the U.S. Weld Trials Committee.” 

The USA Weld Trials Final Weld-Off competition, held at Alabama Robotics Technology Park in Tanner, Ala., from February 25 to 29, featured three competitors — Hansen, Benjamin Cornaby, and Chace Duarte — vying for the opportunity to represent the United States in welding at the upcoming WorldSkills 2024 competition. Hansen and Cornaby are welding students at Utah State University Eastern (USUE) in Price, Utah. Duarte is a graduate of Diman Regional Voc-Tech High School in Fall River, Mass.

Hansen represented Utah at the SkillsUSA Championships in 2022 and 2023 and won a national gold medal in welding in 2023. 

“I’ve dreamed of being a WorldSkills competitor, and now I will be,” Hansen said. “I’ve been training 15–16 hours a day, six to seven days a week for the past eight months to get where I am today. I appreciate the support of Kevin Mitchell, Rick Prather, Mason Winters, Jeremia Garcia, Austin Welch, Jake Clement, Willy Hansen, Guy Hansen, and Sarah Hansen. I also thank the AWS WorldSkills Competition Committee Skills Management Team of Ray Connolly, Chandler Vincent, Branden Muehlbrandt, Nick Peterson, Brian Muenchau,  

Martica Ventura, and Ashley Applegate as well as everyone else that has helped along the way.” 

Hansen is working toward finishing his associate of applied science degree in welding at USUE and would also like to get a welding engineering degree and a Certified Welding Inspector certification. He is considering attending an underwater welding school. 

The 47th WorldSkills Competition in 2024 will welcome 1500 competitors from over 65 countries and regions to participate in 62 skill competitions at Eurexpo Lyon. More than 250,000 spectators from around the world are expected to attend the 2024 competition, including students, public policymakers, employers, teachers, trainers, technical experts, and government officials.