Eight Ganado High Seniors Earn AWS Welding Certification Ahead of Graduation

Eight seniors at Ganado High School passed American Welding Society welding certification tests administered in December, earning professional credentials months before graduation. Seventeen seniors in total took the AWS Welding Performance Qualification as part of Ganado’s expanding welding program, which now enrolls about 33 students. The exams replicated real job-site procedures, including completion of an AWS qualification form, an orientation, and a final bend test, and were administered by Jon Yazzie, Career and Technical Education District CTE coordinator for N.A.T.I.V.E. in Kayenta.

The early certification gives students the option to graduate with industry-recognized credentials while they finish other spring graduation requirements. For a rural, predominantly Diné community in Apache County, that can translate to immediate employment opportunities in construction, fabrication, and maintenance projects across the region. Certified welders are in demand on tribal infrastructure projects, utility work, and regional contractors, and having trained local labor helps keep jobs and income in the community.

Beyond economic benefit, the program addresses equity in career pathways by offering hands-on technical education inside the high school day. For students who face barriers to postsecondary education, an AWS credential lowers the hurdle to stable work and apprenticeships. Growing enrollment in the welding program signals greater interest in trades training among Ganado students and suggests a pipeline of skilled workers that local employers and tribal programs can tap into.

There are public health and safety considerations tied to expanding trade certification for young workers. Welding exposes trainees to fumes, ultraviolet light, and ergonomic risks. Structured testing that mirrors job-site procedures is a positive step because it reinforces safety orientation and practical competence. Local schools, employers, and public health partners will need to coordinate on respiratory protection, hearing and eye safety, and occupational health follow-up to reduce long-term work-related injuries and illnesses.

Policy support matters. Sustained funding for career and technical education, partnerships with tribal workforce boards, and linkages to apprenticeship programs can amplify the program’s impact. Integrating occupational health services and worker safety training into CTE programs helps protect students as they transition to paid work.

As Ganado’s program continues to grow and more seniors prepare for Technical Skills Assessments, the community stands to gain both a stronger local workforce and fairer access to good jobs. For readers, this development means more local youth poised to enter the trades with credentialed skills and a reminder that investment in school-based vocational programs can yield social and economic returns for Apache County.