Weld Like a Girl earns Airgas support in national welding program

Yuma’s welding pipeline got a national boost when Weld Like a Girl was selected as one of 76 schools in Airgas’ 2026 High School Welding Education Initiative, putting a local training program into a workforce network that has already reached more than 16,000 students.

The selection matters well beyond the classroom. Airgas said the annual initiative is built around schools with unmet needs, strong welding programs, passionate teachers and local champions, and this year’s group includes 25 new schools and 51 returning schools across 26 states. The company also branded the cohort the “Class of 76,” a nod to the nation’s 250th anniversary tied to 1776.

For Yuma, the practical value is direct: access to industry support that can help schools keep welding programs running, expand hands-on instruction and connect students to career pathways. Airgas has said its program has provided equipment and personal protective equipment to more than 800 instructors and helped launch more than 3,100 careers since it debuted in 2018. The company said an estimated 1,000 students have landed jobs directly after graduating from schools supported by its donations.

Shanen Aranmor, the owner of Weld Like a Girl, has built the Yuma program around welding education, community projects and certification services, with a mission that emphasizes wellness, confidence and access for girls and women while welcoming learners of all ages. Local coverage has described Aranmor as an educator, Certified Welding Inspector and national presenter who came to the trades after leaving academia. Her students have ranged from age 5 to 88, and her workshops have reached veterans, Special Olympians, juvenile-court youth, charter high schools and second graders.

That broad reach is part of why the selection resonates in Yuma County. Welding feeds construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and maintenance work across the region, and William Crittenden said the shortage of trained workers matters because older tradespeople are retiring. That shortage, he said, could affect “just about everything in the economy.”

Airgas executive Monica De La Garza said the 2026 expansion is meant to help bridge that skills gap. Airgas has said the national program now spans more than 190 schools overall and has helped more than 3,100 careers get started, underscoring how a local shop in Yuma can connect students to a larger labor market.

Aranmor’s work has already shown that connection on the ground. Her students have helped create city metalwork and art projects in Yuma, and her broader effort, including Welder Corps for veterans and their families, points to a trade strategy that is as much about opportunity as it is about instruction.