Project MFG Youth Welding Challenge in Yuma, AZ

Project MFG Youth Welding Challenge featured local home-school students ages 10 - 17, from the Yuma, AZ area hosted by Shanen Aranmor, of Weld Like a Girl.

YUMA, AZ, UNITED STATES, January 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Weld Like a Girl hosted 2 separate Project MFG Youth Welding Challenges, providing young welders the opportunity to earn new skills and compete for prizes. These two welding challenges allowed a total of 62 home-schooled students between the ages of 10 and 17 to learn more about welding and the many career options available in the skilled trades.

In the morning, the students learned how to read blueprints, learned different metal cutting techniques, and learned welding techniques from Shanen Aranmor, owner of Weld Like a Girl, and spent the afternoon fabricating and welding a custom metal palm tree sculpture to test their skill and precision to produce a group project.

The group projects made by the local students will be donated to Amberly’s Place, a local domestic abuse treatment center in Yuma, Arizona where they will be auctioned off to support those in need in the Yuma community.

Alongside the competition, students had the opportunity to speak with the Yuma Southwest Contractors Association at our “Career Discovery Event” and learn more about the importance of these skills and the career options for skilled trades within the Yuma community.

Felly Ricci, the Development and Outreach Coordinator for the Yuma Southwest Contractors Association further invited them all to attend the 4th Annual Career & Trades Experience they are hosting March 4th & 5th, 2025 held at the Yuma Fairgrounds that will provide hands-on experience to Yuma’s youth as they embark on their journey into a trade career.

The Career Discovery Event ended with a visit from the Yuma Fire Department where students were encouraged to explore a working firetruck.

The competition was judged by a panel of expert welders and industry professionals who evaluated the contestants on a variety of criteria, such as the quality of their welds, the accuracy of their measurements, and their ability to follow instructions. At the end of each day, the winners were announced.

The top three teams at each event won Weld Like a Girl Gift Certificates to further their welding training. All the participants had the opportunity to be mentored by industry leaders, learn new skills, and receive a gift bag from Project MFG. A special thanks to our industry expert, Dave Lynnes, who was invited to be a guest judge from the Lynnes Welding training schools in North Dakota and Minnesota.

January 14th, 2025 winners:

First place team:
Dillon Wasser
Lois Moran
Rosie Moran
Mentor: Melody Fearn

Second place team:
Alan Averett
Bonnie-Ann Walmsley
Noah Roberts Estonian
Mentor: Dave Lynnes

Third place team:
Brynlyn Umphress
Kina Vincent
Ellie Sommers
Mentor: Chris Grasser

January 15th, 2025 winners:

First place team:
Camden Shumate
Jaxon Geiler
Kevin "Ikaika" Okamura
Mentor: William Crittenden

Second place team:
Dane Donaldson
David Vogel
Noah "Makana" Okamura
Trevor Bingaman
Mentor: Kayla Keenan

Third place team:
Aubrey Nemlowill
Luke Vogel
Colton Orinion
Mentor: Dominic Jaramillo

Congratulations to all the students who competed! We were impressed with how willing and excited they all were to learn more about the skilled trades!

Project MFG is a national initiative that aims to close the skills gap in manufacturing by creating opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and learn from industry professionals. The Youth Welding Challenge is just one of the many programs offered by Project MFG to help students build the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the manufacturing industry. Weld Like a Girl is a Yuma-based welding school that specializes in teaching women and girls the art of welding. The school offers a variety of classes and workshops for students of all ages and skill levels. For more information about all of Project MFG’s trade competitions, visit projectmfg.com.

Amy Moyer
Project MFG
+1 913-634-5404
email us here
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