Institute to weld industry.

The Materials Joining Institute of Canada (MaJIC), has a catchy acronym, but the designation of "institute" is one that is reserved, says Fred Gibbons, acting president of Northern College.

"It implies applied research and it also has a university connotation," says Gibbons.

Jack Pacey, co-ordinator of the school of welding engineering technology at Northern College, says a likely choice for the new development is the Applied Welding Centre--Materials Joining Innovation, which will be located at Northern College's school of welding in Kirkland Lake.

Three "pillars" for concentration by the centre have been identified, including education of new people in the industry, technology for use in welding and materials joining and applied research of new techniques and materials, says Pacey.

Consulting company Suthey Holler Associates was tasked with preparing a business plan for the centre, completion of which was expected by the end of March. The centre is expected to be up and running by fall of 2005.

Pacey says the centre will be a non-profit organization, arms-length from the college and provide "specific" services for the industry.

"There's not a real welding sector that can approach government and look at funding and programs to improve the strength of the welding technology," Pacey says. "There isn't a unified voice from educational institutions and the end users.

"Welding tends to be joined under other things, but is not generally called welding or joining technology.

"We will be looking to raise the profile of welding as an enabling technology," he says. "We're going to provide a service that the industry is looking for, and hopefully we are going to partake in the development of the roadmap for how to achieve that vision.

"What we're trying to do is start this acting as a catalyst to get the welding industry in all areas to form a common entity," Pacey says. "It's an ambitious plan, but it's one that has lots of support. Hopefully, this will take on its own momentum and build itself forward."

The direction of the centre comes in part from an industry that is having difficulty recruiting new talent even as older, more experienced practitioners are coming of age to retire, Gibbons says. Similar issues were identified in the United States, and when the college approached its industry representatives on the advisory board for its school of welding to confirm if the same existed in Ontario, the resounding answer was "Yes".

One of the main problems the industry suffers is one many technology-related vocations experience--perception. It is just not a "sexy" career choice for young people graduating out of high school or people returning to college, compared to things such as becoming a paramedic, says Gibbons.

"When you think of welding, you think of arcs and sparks and people covered up from head to toe," says Pacey. "That's one area. But there is a much more technologically advanced part to the industry that deals with quality control, quality assurance, robotics, new procedures and producing parts in the most economic fashion. There's always that side of the industry and there is a distinct shortage of knowledgeable people in it. That is an area that our program is trying to address--the science side as opposed to just the skills side."

A visioning exercise sponsored by Northern College and the Canadian Welding Association (CWA) last December in Whit-by confirmed many of the concerns and identified the development of an applied welding centre as a solution.

One of the identified ways to raise the profile of the industry was through the development of an innovation centre. "When we talk to students about careers, we don't just have to talk to students about welding pipe for the next pipeline coming through," he says. "There is also research being done to help solve certain problems in the industry, like dealing with corrosion or synthetic materials being combined with metal."

There is also considerable research underway in the field of joining materials without welds or rivets, such as through adhesives or other melding techniques for materials that are used in conjunction with metal.

Gibbons says once the business plan is completed, private-sector funding will have to sought, but he does not anticipate that being a problem since it is the private sector that has identified the centre as a solution for its problems.

www.northernc.on.ca

www.cwa-acs.org

By ANDREW WAREING

Northern Ontario Business