New welding school opens for high schoolers

With the support of a $500,000 grant from BWX Technologies (BWXT), the U.S. Navy, and BlueForge Alliance, the John D. Haynes School of Welding Technology has opened at Mount Vernon High School in Indiana. The welding school offers direct employment opportunities for students from the high school to BWXT's Nuclear Operations Group, also located in Mount Vernon, Ind. Students can complete their high school degrees and their professional welding testing on a dual track, allowing them to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

Watch now: A short video about the John D. Haynes School of Welding Technology is available on the BWXT YouTube channel.

In memoriam: The welding school is named in memory of John Dennis Haynes Jr., a former fabrication manager and leader at BWXT who worked with the Nuclear Operations Group in Mount Vernon. Haynes passed away on November 4, 2023, at the age of 53.

During his time at BWXT, Haynes expressed a strong interest in developing a special pathway to help local students get into the welding trade.

Navy connection: BWXT president and chief executive officer Rex Geveden commented on the new welding school: "Our Mount Vernon site employs the highest level of welding expertise to support our naval nuclear reactor work," he said. "This new program helps us fill an important training gap, ensuring future BWXT employees enter the workforce ready to work on highly technical programs that are critical to our national defense. We envision this program will provide a blueprint, spurring the creation of similar high school-based welding programs across the country to train the next generation of welders."

Students equipped: Mount Vernon High School principal Scott Strieter said, "Seeing the development of the welding school and its first cohort of students has been truly inspiring. Knowing our students are equipped for the next phase of life is the goal of every educator, and I'm so proud of the determination shown by our welding students in pursuing this advanced skill to prepare to enter the workforce."