Installation of Miller Electric state-of-the-art equipment ‘a godsend’ for University of Montana-Helena College of Technology’s welding dept.

University of Montana-Helena College of Technology’s welding program broke into the 21st century this week with the installation of more than $60,000 worth of new equipment from Miller Electric, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of welding machines. The new machines are replacing welders the college has had since the 1970s and are due to a recent partnership between UM-Helena and Miller Electric.

By LAURA TODE, IR Staff Writer

Miller plans to use UM-Helena to provide continuing training to Miller’s Montana distributors, and the company trained its first group on the new equipment this week. The advantage for UM-Helena is year-round use of Miller’s state-of-the-art welders.

This year, 24 students are enrolled in the welding class that is part of the college’s Metals Technology program. Welding is also a component in the construction, diesel mechanics, auto mechanics and aviation programs at the college. And UM-Helena teaches a 30-hour welding fundamentals course for the public.

"This equipment is nothing short of a godsend for us," said Welding Instructor Tim Harris.

Jim Lamphiear, district manager for Miller Electric, couldn’t agree more. Prior to partnering with UM-Helena, there were no Miller training facilities in Montana. The closest was in Portland.

"We obviously wanted to get our distributors educated locally," Lamphiear said, adding that UM-Helena was chosen because of the college’s central location.

Miller will be providing several workshops a year for their distributors and for folks interested in purchasing Miller welders. As those courses gear up, UM-Helena will see more and more new equipment.

UM-Helena Dean Steve Hoyle said that the Miller Electric partnership falls right in line with the college’s mission.

"One of the things we want to do is be a multi-service education facility, and this helps us in that," he added.

In a time of more and more funding difficulties, Hoyle praised the business partnership.

"We are having troubles keeping up the state-of-the-art equipment," Hoyle said. "That gap just gets wider and wider."

Lamphiear emphasized the benefits Miller sees as a result of the partnership.

"The idea is that when a student gets done with this class and gets out into the field, he knows how to run the equipment and he’s familiar with it," he added.

Miller Electric is committed to providing UM-Helena with the latest technology, so equipment will constantly be upgraded.

"With this equipment they’re going to get the best education available," Hoyle said.

Reporter Laura Tode can be reached at 447-4081 or [email protected].

http://helenair.com/articles/2003/03/29/montana/a07032903_04.txt

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Editorial: Welding a valuable partnership

By IR staff – 04/01/03

The recent installation of $60,000 worth of state-of-the-art welding equipment at Helena’s college of technology is a perfect example of the kind of cooperation that will benefit both Montana’s students and its economy.

The deal between University of Montana-Helena College of Technology and Miller Electric, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of welding machines, is a win-win situation. The company not only gets a place to train its distributors and demonstrate the welders to potential customers throughout the area, but it will get a continuing supply of new graduates already up to speed on the company’s equipment.

The school, which had been using 1970s-era equipment, gets year-round use of the modern technology that it otherwise would have had to go without.

In addition to the school’s metals technology program, welding is a component of the construction, diesel mechanics, auto mechanics and aviation programs. The college also offers classes in welding fundamentals for the public.

A college of technology, somewhat of a stepchild in Montana’s system of higher education, is anything but to the state’s hopes for economic development. They can offer a cheaper entry point to eventual graduation from four-year institutions, but from the standpoint of attracting industry to Montana, they offer the single most important element: a highly trained workforce.

Partnerships such as this help the college offer wonderful opportunities for young people interesting in learning sought-after skills and for displaced older workers eager to re-enter the well-paid work world. But they also are an essential part of any plan to grow Montana’s economy.

http://helenair.com/articles/2003/04/01/opinions_top/a04040103_01.txt