Universal Technical Institute Launches Welding Technology Programs in Houston and Long Beach to Meet Student and Employer Demand

Lisle, Illinois campus scheduled to launch welding in early 2021

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Aug 05, 2020, 08:00 ET

PHOENIX, Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) confirmed the expansion of its Welding Technology Training Program at both its Houston and Long Beach campuses. The company also announced its welding program is scheduled to launch at UTI-Lisle outside Chicago in early 2021. These three campuses join UTI campuses in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Avondale, Ariz., and Dallas, Texas in offering the program, which was developed in partnership with global welding industry leader, Lincoln Electric (Nasdaq: LECO).

A UTI student trains on the virtual reality welder, developed by welding industry leader and UTI partner, Lincoln Electric.

UTI students train hands-on in state-of-the-industry labs and graduate ready to work in a myriad of industries where trained welders are in strong demand.

Two students in UTI's 36-week Welding Technology program train hands-on in real-life situations that prepare them for their careers.

"Houston and Long Beach, rank first and third, respectively, among metro areas with the highest employment levels for welding," said Sherrell Smith, Executive Vice President of Campus Operations. "Welding technicians have never been more vital to our nation's economy, and the COVID-19 pandemic has shined a bright light on the essential work these men and women do to support critical infrastructure projects. We expect welding to continue to be a high enrollment and employment growth area for UTI."

UTI's Houston welding program opened in May 2020 and the first class at the Long Beach campus is scheduled to begin on August 10. Enrollment in the welding program at UTI's campuses continues to be strong. The company also expects robust student demand for the UTI-Lisle welding program and employer demand for its graduates in the metropolitan and suburban Chicago area, which is the nation's fifth highest metropolitan area for welding employment. Overall, the UTI welding programs are expected to deliver over five percent of new student starts in fiscal 2020.

Even in the face of significant rates of unemployment across the nation, welders are sought after in industries ranging from automotive fabrication to energy and manufacturing and are particularly in demand for major infrastructure projects that include bridges, highways, office buildings, schools, pipelines, power plants, ports, refineries, and spacecraft. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be approximately 48,800 job openings annually for welders through 2028.¹

In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, UTI transitioned from solely in-person training to a blended learning model that combines online, instructor-delivered teaching and demonstrations with hands-on labs, in alignment with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authority guidelines.

For a full list of health and safety measures in UTI's campus labs, please refer to our COVID response page, and for more information about UTI's Welding Technology Training Program visit its overview page.

About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.
With more than 220,000 graduates in its 55-year history, Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is the nation's leading provider of technical training for automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, and offers welding technology and computer numerical control (CNC) machining programs. The company has built partnerships with industry leaders, outfits its state-of-the-industry facilities with current technology, and delivers training that is aligned with employer needs. Through its network of 12 campuses nationwide, UTI offers post-secondary programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech). The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

For more information, visit www.uti.edu. Like UTI on www.facebook.com/UTI or follow UTI on Twitter @UTITweet, @MMITweet, and @NASCARTechUTI.

¹ Source: Based on data compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2018-2028), www.bls.gov. The projected number of annual job openings, by job classification is: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. Job openings include openings due to growth and net replacements.

Media Contact:
Jody Kent
VP, Communications and Public Affairs
Universal Technical Institute
[email protected]
(623) 445-0872

SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc.