Program Description: 

Start your path in Bristol's Workforce Welder Training program.  Welding is a growing field with opportunities in clean energy and skilled trades. 

Bristol’s FREE, 18-week, 300-hour welding training program focuses on fundamental welding skills and will incorporate extensive hands-on practice, simulation-based learning, and industry-specific scenarios to ensure graduates are job-ready.  

Schedule:

• September 14, 2026- May 24, 2027  
• In-Person: Lab Days every Tuesday and Thursdays from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM 
• In- Person: Testing Days in the Lab Saturday, December 19, 2026, and May 8, 2027, All Day. 
• 5+ hours of Online work per week 

Curriculum modules could include but not limited to: 

• OSHA job site safety 
• Hot Works training  
• Fabricating Equipment Safety 
• Light Fabrication Techniques  
• Tool Safety 
• Power Equipment Use 
•  Oxy-Fuel welding and cutting (OFW/OFC) 
• Plasma Arc Cutting (PAC) 
• Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) 
• Flux cored Arc Welding (FCAW) 
• Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) 
• Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) 

 Industry Certifications & Next Steps: 

• OSHA 10-hour construction 
• Massachusetts Hot Work certification 
• American Welding Society (AWS)  

Trainees leave the program with industry recognized certifications and valuable hands-on skills for entry level positions in this trades sector. 

Program Highlights: 

• Access to GNBVT Computer Lab 
• PPE & Safety Boots 
• Materials and Supplies 
• On-the-Job Training & Job Placement 
• Wrap-Around Student Support Services 

Program Prerequisites: 

• 18 Years of age or older  
• A resident of Massachusetts 
• Hold a United States issued high school diploma or high school equivalency (GED or HiSET) 
• Hold a MA issued valid driver's license or MA issued Photo ID 
• Authorized to work in the US 
• Complete and pass a CORI/SORI background check 
• Have reliable transportation 
• Fully committed to completing all classes 
• Be ready to work directly after program completion 
• Be ready to report job placement, retention, and starting salary 

Program Career Pathways: 

According to Powering the Future: A Massachusetts Clean Energy Workforce Needs Assessment, occupations such as welders, sheet metal workers, and metal fabricators are projected to grow by 28% by 2030.  

This training prepares participants for immediate employment with a local Welding company gaining valuable paid on the job training. 

• Fabricator  
• ironworker 
• Pipeliner 
• Shipfitter 
• Sheet Metal Worker 
• Pipefitter 
• Boilermaker 
• Technician  

CLICK HERE AND COMPLETE THE PROGRAM INTEREST FORM TODAY! 

Spots are limited — first come, first served! 

This grant funded Workforce Welder Training program is designed and delivered to meet industry demand in the growing need for a clean energy workforce. This program is developed through a partnership between Bristol Community College, Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical High School, area Welding companies and funded by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). 

Free Adult Education Online Classes

Are you ready to strengthen your reading, writing, and math skills or prepare for the GED/HiSET exams, college, job training, or better career opportunities? Bristol Community College offers free Adult Education online classes designed to help you reach your goals.

Flexible Online Learning Options

Choose the learning format that works best for you:

• Live Zoom Classes — Attend instructor-led classes online with your instructor and fellow students.
• Self-Paced Online Program — Learn using online software with support from an online coach. Most of your learning can be completed on your own schedule.

What You’ll Receive

Every student has access to support and resources, including:

• Personalized learning plans
• Educational and career advising
• Instructor/tutor support
• Optional basic computer skills course

Students and graduates may also have the opportunity to take advantage of free college courses through our Transitions to College program.

To participate, you must:

• Complete an in-person placement test
• Be a resident of Massachusetts or Bristol County, or currently receive unemployment benefits from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Ready to Get Started?

Your first step is to register for an upcoming Adult Education TABE Placement Test session. After registering, check your email for additional information and next steps.

Need an accommodation?

If you require an accommodation for the initial intake exam due to a documented disability, please call 774-357-3769 to schedule your test.

For further assistance, please contact:

Nicola Machado, Education and Career Advisor

Phone:774-357-3769

Email: nicola.machado@bristolcc.edu.

The American Heart Association’s BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate breaths and ventilations, and provide early use of an AED. The course reflects science and education from the 2025 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC).

What does this course teach?

• High-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants
• BLS concepts from the Chain of Survival
• Delivering effective breaths or ventilations
• Importance of early use of and how to use an AED
• Performance as an effective team member during multirescuer CPR
• Relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (choking) for adults, children, and infants.

Get Up Safe is a unique heave compensated lifting solution that has been specifically designed to transfer personnel between Crew Transfer Vessels and the main external platform of an offshore wind turbine. 

GUS systems are activated and operated from the CTV via a wireless remote control and use integrated sensors to monitor vessel movement and instruct the hoist to take-in or pay-out line to maintain a safe distance between the person being transferred and the vessel deck.

Course Description: 

HeartCode® BLS Online is a self-directed, comprehensive eLearning program that uses adaptive learning technology to allow learners to acquire and demonstrate Basic Life Support skills using a personalized learning path that adapts in real time to a learner’s performance. The program is designed for healthcare professionals who need Basic Life Support training for their clinical duties. Utilizing a variety of eLearning assets such as dramatizations, Cognitive Assessment Activities, illustrations, knowledge checks and interactive activities, this program teaches BLS knowledge and skills. This method of learning provides training consistency and adaptability to different learning styles. Students can work at their own pace applying their knowledge to real-time decision making. Debriefings and coaching are provided immediately after each knowledge check and each Cognitive Assessment Activity. Students who successfully complete the cognitive portion and the hands-on session (skills) will receive an AHA BLS Provider course completion card (eCard), valid for two years.

Course Training Site: TS34292

Pre-requisite:

• You must print out and bring your online course completion certificate to this hands-on skills session.  You will need to go to:  https://shopcpr.heart.org/heartcode-bls to purchase and complete the online portion of this program.  
• After completing the online portion of the HeartCode BLS Course, you must complete a hands-on skills session with an AHA approved CPR Instructor to obtain a course completion card.

Upon successful completion of this hands-on session and skills testing, you will receive your BLS Provider eCard. 

The course completion card is included in the course fee.

Questions: email Scott Kruger at scott.kruger@bristolcc.edu

Get Up Safe is a unique heave compensated lifting solution that has been specifically designed to transfer personnel between Crew Transfer Vessels and the main external platform of an offshore wind turbine. 

GUS systems are activated and operated from the CTV via a wireless remote control and use integrated sensors to monitor vessel movement and instruct the hoist to take-in or pay-out line to maintain a safe distance between the person being transferred and the vessel deck.

The aim of BST-R is to review and build on previously gained knowledge and skills from BST through theoretical and practical training. This BST-R training shall enable participants to support and care for themselves and others working in the industry by possessing the knowledge and skills of first aid, working at heights, manual handling, fire awareness, sea survival and in case of an emergency, to be able to evacuate, rescue and provide appropriate first aid to casualties. 

English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

In-Person Classes

Do you want to improve your English skills to prepare for college or a better career? Then these classes are for you!

Study the English language at the beginning to advanced levels. These classes will help you develop and expand your English language skills in preparation for the next level.

The course includes pre and post testing, books and a six-month license for the Burlington English software program.

Burlington English Software Language program accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In these classes you will:

• Improve your reading and writing skills

• Improve your speaking and listening skills

• Study and apply English grammar rules

• Increase your English vocabulary and improve your study skills.