Amarillo College receives grant to enhance welding program with VR technology

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Amarillo College announced it will receive a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission for over $300,000 to enhance welding training through virtual reality technology.

According to AC officials, TWU Commissioner Alberto Trevino III will present the Jobs and Education for Texans grant totaling $331,268, at 10 a.m. on July 31 at AC’s Innovation Outpost, located at 1220 S. Polk.

David Hall, dean of technical education, said the demand for professional welders will increase in the Texas Panhandle. Hall said the new VR technology will enable the ability to train welders in more significant numbers and more efficiently.

“The high-quality virtual reality trainers now on the market allow students to watch demonstrations of proper welding techniques, to practice machine set-up and welding processes, to take virtual bend tests, and to receive visual and audible feedback before they ever step into the welding lab,” Hall said.

VR technology will help students develop muscle memory through a virtual welding lab, said officials.

“In our proposed virtual welding lab, students will develop muscle memory through multiple repetitions without wasting valuable consumable material such as gas and metal,” Hall said.

According to projections from TWC and Lightcast, an authority on labor market analytics, 22 percent more welders will be needed in the Texas Panhandle by 2030, which equates to about 96 jobs annually.

AC officials said the grant will allow AC to acquire additional live welders and cutting equipment, doubling the capacity and will increase class-size capacity.

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