{"id":1061,"date":"2026-07-23T20:38:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zmm.com\/news\/?p=1061"},"modified":"2026-07-23T20:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:39:24","slug":"blue-ridge-ctc-opens-new-welding-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zmm.com\/news\/blue-ridge-ctc-opens-new-welding-lab","title":{"rendered":"Blue Ridge Community and Technical College opens new welding lab"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ZMM is honored to partner with Blueridge Community and Technical College on efforts that support workforce development opportunities throughout the region, including their new welding lab.<\/em> Read more about this project in The Journal<\/a> article provided below. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Tom Markland, The Journal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College officially opened its new welding laboratory Thursday, celebrating a project years in the making that leaders say will help address the region’s growing demand for skilled trades workers while breathing new life into the former War Memorial Hospital building.<\/p>\n\n\n

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College officials, local elected leaders, business partners and students gathered at the Morgan County Center at the Pines Opportunity Center for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the new instructional space. The lab is designed to provide students with hands-on training that leads directly to careers in welding and advanced manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This has been a long journey,” Blue Ridge Community and Technical College Board of Governors Co-Chair Stephanie Harvey said. “Our mission at Blue Ridge CTC is to provide the highest quality education and training to our students. Then these students graduate from either a degree program or a certificate program and go on to get really good jobs and earn a good living wage.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project represents another milestone in the ongoing transformation of the former hospital into the Pines Opportunity Center, a multiuse educational and community campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board member Brad Close recalled walking through the vacant building in 2012, when he served as president of the Morgan County Commission, shortly after the hospital relocated. At the time, he said, the county faced pressure to sell or demolish the aging facility, which cost roughly $250,000 annually just to maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“What I thought was the treasure in this building, is indeed not the treasure at all,” Fout said. “The treasure is the opportunities that our family, friends and children can come together for generations to come.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morgan County Commissioner Joel Tuttle said the new welding lab is the result of collaboration among local government, educators and industry partners working to meet workforce needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our local employers have made clear that they need skilled welders, and they could not consistently find them,” Tuttle said. “This facility will help meet the need by preparing students with hands-on training that leads directly to rewarding careers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuttle said the lab is expected to strengthen existing businesses, attract new employers and support continued economic growth throughout Morgan County and the Eastern Panhandle by creating a pipeline of trained workers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The new facility will house Blue Ridge CTC’s welding certificate program, which prepares students for careers in construction, manufacturing, fabrication and other skilled trades. The program provides hands-on instruction in multiple welding processes, blueprint reading, metallurgy and welding safety while emphasizing industry-standard techniques and workplace readiness. Students can complete the certificate in as little as one year and are prepared to pursue employment in a variety of welding occupations or continue their education in advanced manufacturing fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expanded lab will allow more students to gain practical experience using professional-grade equipment while helping meet the growing demand for certified welders throughout the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n