RANDOLPH, Vt. – Students from Randolph Technical Career Center, Missisquoi Valley Union High School, and the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center competed in a welding competition at the Auto/Diesel Tech Center of the Vermont Technical College, March 16. U.S. Soldiers from Bravo Company, 186th Brigade Support Battalion, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain), Vermont National Guard, provided equipment and acted as safeties and instructors for the event.
“We prepped all our equipment, brought it down, and set it up for the students participating," said Capt. Lindsay Pigeon, commander, B. Co., 186th BSB. "We also coached them through how to use our equipment."
The idea emerged while the company was attending a separate competition event at Randolph Technical Career Center. Soldiers saw an artistic welding piece and proposed the idea of a welding competition.
“We worked with Randolph Tech and came up with the idea of how it was going to be run,” said Pigeon. “We saw this as a great way to build community partnerships and bring people into all of the programs.”
Part of the program is introducing the students to what is offered outside of their technical programs. They get to see one of the many facets of the Vermont National Guard.
The competition segues into a new chapter of learning checks for the technical schools that instruct high school students.
“Due to how schools are changing their grading systems, competitions are going to be more important to tech schools,” said Matthew Dragon, an agricultural technology instructor at RTCC. “It shows they know those skills and are proficient at those skills.”
The competition also differs from typical tests because it gives students a way to view the applications of what they’ve learned over the class.
“They can see the reason, they can see the reward. It’s a real application,” said Dragon. “It’s a competition, not a grade, so it means something to them.”