KAYSVILLE—Davis Technical College hosted an unconventional “ribbon cutting” last week to open the new Welding Technology building on the school’s campus by using an oxyfuel-cutting torch to cut through a metal ribbon in front of a packed crowd. County and local officials, former and present students all gathered to celebrate its completion. 

The state-of-the-art 16,925 square foot facility houses 70 welding bays, 10 fabrication stations, a programmable brake press and 6,000 kW CNC laser. An additional 8,135 square foot outside yard sits east of the building and will be used for material storage as well as a 1,800 square foot covered load-in area that will allow more space for training.

“This feels like a really big family to me,” said Davis Tech President Darin Brush. “This community embraces and loves its technical college. We are your technical college and we feel this wouldn't happen without you.”

Brush said he had recently come across a quote by 19th Century playwright George Coleman. “He wrote ‘Praise the bridge that carried you over.’ He wasn’t talking about welding of course. Modern welding wasn’t invented for another 100 years. But I think the idea still fits. We depend on welding to build roads, bridges, cars, airplanes and just about everything in our lives.”

So yes, this building matters a lot, he said. “As a system of higher education Utah is known for having some of the best welding programs in the country. But here at Davis Tech we have one big challenge – space. We didn’t even have enough room to train everyone who wanted to learn to weld.”

That changes today, said Brush. “With this building we can nearly double the number of students we graduate. What’s more, it's a state-of-the art facility that helps Utah remain a leader in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense and positions us to reach our goal of becoming the next energy exporter.”

“Standing here today, seeing this brand new welding facility is really special for me because I know first hand what type of opportunities that start right here in these classrooms,” said Colten Smith, ORE Design Operations Assistant and Davis Technical College alumnus. “When I first came to Davis Tech I had no welding experience at all. I’ve always loved working with my hands and creating things but I was brand new to the trade.”

Smith said from day one the instructors and students made him feel supported and motivated. “They didn’t just teach me welding, they taught me pride in craftsmanship. Today I travel all over the country representing or working on products that range from large scale installations to custom metal designs. None of that would have been possible without the training and mentorship and confidence they gave me here at Davis Tech.”

“I’ve been with the program for about two weeks,” said student Micah Vrtatko. “One of my aunties went to school here and she passed with a certification so she was actually the one that recommended this school to me.”

Vrtatko said he has done some welding before. “This new building is going to provide for a lot more spacing and a lot of new machinery that’s kind of caught on in today’s welding. My plan is to hopefully scrape enough money from pipe welding to hopefully pursue my training in engineering.”

“We’re so proud of this new building and the cutting-edge learning space,” said Welding Technology Lead Faculty, Nick Price, who has been with Davis Tech for 16 years and consulted on the facility. “We’ve incorporated everything to help the students be successful – the lab has TIG workstations with Bluetooth-controlled foot pedals, fabrication stations with pins and storage areas filled with tools, a CNC laser that cuts to one inch thick, a band saw that turns at multiple angles, and more.”

Price said they’ve incorporated a large classroom for instruction and partner training, a conference room, and a student refresh area for breaks and lunch. “From gear cubbies built into each booth to the rust-patina planter that complements the industrial design, every detail in this facility is thoughtfully planned.”

The new building is located east of the Allied Health Building on the Davis Tech campus.