𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗦𝗖 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬'𝗩𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥?

 

Matthew Richard

Above is a portion of the contract with the Certified Welding Inspector Matthew Richard.  

Notice that students who pass the welding exam supervised by the Certified Welding Inspector are to be issued AWS certificates "in a timely manner."

Without those American Welding Society Certificates it's almost impossible to be hired as a welder at the Port of Brownsville, SpaceX, an LNG plant, etc.

What's been reported to us again and again is that TSC welding students, even if they "pass" a welding exam overseen by a Certified Welding Inspector, still DO NOT receive an AWS certificate, but simply a nearly worthless TSC Certificate of Completion.

A young man told me very outspokenly that, although he did not have an AWS certificate, he was employed as a welder and "knew how to do all the welds" and that's all that matters.

Here's what's flawed with that thinking:  Local welders are doing critical work on a variety of projects at the Port of Brownsville, SpaceX, LNG plants, etc.

The LNG plants, for example, are moving natural gas in liquified form that's been compressed to 1/600th of its original volume.  In other words that Liquified Natural Gas is under EXTREME pressure.

Now, think about a weld separating in that operation causing that pressurized gas to be released into the atmosphere.  

Historically, that's happened and the conflagration was enormous!  

Now, if that fire and the subsequent damage is traced to an unsuitable weld and that weld was found to have been made by an uncertified welder, do you see the potential for liability here?

Explosion at LNG Plant at Freeport

No.  These large companies are not taking such an extraordinary risk by having uncertified welders work at their facility and TSC and their instructors SHOULD totally understand that.

Actually, the whole operation of having certified welding instructors, a certified welding inspector, a certified welding instruction program with students taking a certified welding exam is that, the final result will be certified welders able to document that certification with an AWS certificate.

Thomas Tynan

We've been told that whether or not that TSC welding student receives that AWS certificate is largely in the hands of two men, two men described as being as "thick as thieves," TSC Director of Construction and Manufacturing Education Tom Tynan and Certified Welding Inspector Matthew Richard.

It's our understanding that the responsibility to make certain Tynan and Richard do their respective jobs and TSC students and their parents receive the just due for their tuition, student loans, and/or scholarships, not to mention time, is the TSC Board of Trustees.

We were informed that two members of that board, Chair Adela Garza and Vice Chair J.J. De Leon, Jr., were told long ago that TSC welding students, despite completing the course, passing the requisite exam, were simply not receiving the AWS certificates promised in the contract at the top of this article.

Lawyers can decide if that contract has been breached or merely unfulfilled.

The crux of the matter is simple:  Will TSC welding students receive what they've earned, paid for and been promised, an AWS Welding Certificate, or simply walk away with a shitty piece of paper saying they "went to school?"