Photo of CMC welding instructor Jason Shoup with a student.

CMC, western Garfield County schools weld together a program

Photo of CMC welding instructor Jason Shoup with a student.
Welding instructor Jason Shoup assists Grand Valley junior Terik Harper with a project. Photo: Will Grandbois.

This article on CMC’s partnership with western Garfield County schools was published in the Glenwood Post Independent. By Will Grandbois.

When Jason Shoup graduated from Rifle High School in 1995, trades were still a big part of the curriculum, and he was able to go straight into welding.

“I was a certified welder right out of high school,” Shoup recalled. “I knew that I was tired of school and wasn’t destined to go to college. I knew I was destined to work with my hands. I had a good mentor who really helped me decide what I was going to do with my career.”

In the years since then, it has proven difficult to keep welding instructors in local high schools. Even Colorado Mountain College has struggled in an economy that can make part-time positions untenable. Click for full article.