On Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 Western Welding Academy visited Malad High School on their Blue Collar Tour to teach the students throughout America about the trades. The Blue Collar Tour inspires the younger generation of welders to pursue their dreams of being involved in the blue-collar workforce. 

The tour visits 30 schools in 60 days, to teach welders from schools across the nation how to become the most elite welders possible. The students who attended the event got hands-on experience with new types of welding and were critiqued on their prior welding skills to produce the best welds possible. 

The blue-collar tour event itself contained welding demonstrations, competitions, drawings, and much more. Malad High School was able to invite four other schools and students from the Malad Middle School to this event to share their excitement and hope of getting students across Idaho interested in joining the workforce. The students who were able to be there learned the value of the trades and how blue-collar trainees are needed now more than ever. 

Quacy, an instructor from Western Welding Academy, told the students how the blue-collar workforce averages the age between 45 to 56 years old and they are retiring faster than we can supply the workforce with more help. He went on to tell us that welders take part in everything from building the frames for cars and trucks to building foldable tables. Check out the news report on the Channel 8 website for more information and video content from the event. 

Here are some of the takeaways from just 3 of the students who attended: 

Jaxon Blaisdell- “ I learned that Blue Collar workers are out of supply and it is important for kids to learn the trades to work independently. I also learned that you don’t have to go to college to be successful.” 

Jaxon Purdum-” I learned about blue-collar trades and how in demand they are for the United States.” 

Cruz Carter- “ I learned how to tig weld and it was super fun and it inspired me to get better at welding to be able to become a better welder.”