Introduction To Welding

The two-week Introduction to Welding & Metal Fabrication class can be utilized as an extension course for our Skilled Trades Program graduates or as a stand-alone course for those with prior construction experience and an OSHA 10 certification. Currently, we have four individual welding booths as well as a teacher station for demonstrations.

Class Times and Schedule

Welding Program Sparks New Career Path for Shelbyville Woman

Jessica Lentz was released from prison in January after serving a four-year sentence. It wasn’t the 40-year-old Shelbyville native’s first time behind bars, but she was determined to make it her last.

Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry referred her to Goodwill Career Solutions, where she enrolled in the nonprofit’s Construction and Weatherization Training program.

“I was just hoping I’d get the skills to do a job that paid better than minimum wage — something where I could be comfortable and not fall back into my old habits,” Jessica says.

At Goodwill, Jessica learned financial literacy, resume writing and communication skills. And skills she acquired in the Construction class — such as the use of pneumatic tools, table saws and routing machines — were exactly what she needed to land a job with a Nashville cabinet-making company.

But Jessica also discovered a hidden talent and a potential career path. After completing the construction course, she signed up for Goodwill’s new Introduction to Welding course.