It was a great success. The Wallace State president said this was a success, let’s keep doing it.
SAJAC recruiter Lee Aurand-Hosey congratulates winner Arlando Alanis from Drake Community College.
As work increases, the demand for skilled Boilermakers also rises. Welding competitions—or welding rodeos—can help increase awareness among students while also identifying new Boilermaker recruits. So that’s what the Boilermakers, in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Wallace State Community College, did in December.
Southeast Area Joint Apprentice Committee recruiter Lee Aurand-Hosey said International President Tim Simmons encouraged him to hold welding competitions as a recruitment strategy.
“So, I approached TVA and asked if they would be willing to host a weld competition,” he said.
After securing the venue at Wallace State Community College, Aurand-Hosey and Randy Hammond, weld supervisor at the college, spent six months planning what he hopes will become a yearly event. Aurand-Hosey said without Hammond, they wouldn’t have had the welding rodeo. The event was vital because TVA and the Boilermakers union in general, need more welders.
“At TVA we’re the number one craft,” Aurand-Hosey said. “The only way to get into the TVA workforce program is through the unions. They have a great need for more Boilermaker mechanic/welders over the next 10 years.”
He said events like welding competitions can identify students who are talented and interested in becoming a Boilermaker.
“I spent 20 years in the field, so I know what these guys are looking for. The opportunity is there,” he said. “It’s getting the word out.”
The first TVA-Boilermaker welding rodeo had 56 competitors, which Aurand-Hosey hopes to increase at the 2025 competition. More people signed up, but many had to drop out because they couldn’t get their school to sponsor the trip. He said he plans to contact schools well ahead of time and advocate for funding.
Competitors were able to sign up and choose which welding process they wanted to test on, either SMAW, FCAW or the GTAW process in the 6G position. Aurand-Hosey said not everyone is skilled at every process as most were young community college students.
After their booth assignment, competitors began welding plates. On the plates, they had to weld three different positions: 2G vertical, 3G horizontal and 4G overhead.
“A lot of facilities aren’t teaching overhead,” he said, noting Boilermakers do a lot of overhead work. “And 4G is not a big teaching focus.”
Volunteer judges from TVA, Enerfab, AECON, Day & Zimmermann and APM were joined by people from International, recruiters, Southeast International Reps and business agents. Volunteers also helped from the four locals that have members working at TVA: Local 108 (Birmingham), L-40 (Elizabethtown, Kentucky), L-454 (Chattanooga Tennessee) and L-455 (Sheffield, Alabama).
“Everybody came through,” Aurand-Hosey said. “The vendors and especially TVA really showed up and helped. The Boilermakers were there and provided a lot of information to these kids. It was a great success. The Wallace State president said this was a success, let’s keep doing it.”
Aurand-Hosey said the local lodges wanted to introduce real-world opportunity to the students at the competition. Students were able to speak with contractors, owners and business agents. At the event, Boilermakers signed around 15 new recruits, and the phone is still ringing with inquiries.
“The competitors didn’t know much about the Boilermaker apprenticeship, and we were there to inform them about union opportunities. They’re excited about the chance to join the union and be able to see new horizons.”
