Welding is a way back to school for California kids who regularly ditch classes

Brent Tuttle has taught welding for 24 years to more than 3,000 students. He says California high schools should offer more classes like his, training students in trades rather than steering them all toward college. 

Shop courses can help turn around students who are absent or disengaged from school, he said, a problem that grew during the pandemic. And there’s a growing demand for hands-on career education.

Tuttle, 47, teaches at La Mirada High School in Los Angeles County. Students there get more than 1,000 hours in a welding shop, learning metal arc welding, plasma cutting, fabrication and welding sculpture. They also take courses in the summer, and many go on to college or to jobs or apprenticeships after graduation.

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