Welding Industry

What Welding Industry does

Careers in Welding (careersinwelding.com) is a free, nonprofit-driven career guidance portal that connects prospective and current welding professionals with career profiles, education pathways, apprenticeship opportunities, scholarships, and employment resources across all 50 US states. It is operated as a joint initiative of the American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation and Lincoln Electric, with the AWS Foundation serving as the legal and operational entity. The platform's underlying technology is a standard web-based content portal with an interactive Career Pathway Assessment Tool (filtering by minimum education, desired location, and minimum pay), a searchable directory of accredited schools and apprenticeship programs, and a companion AWS-branded job board at jobsinwelding.com. Content coverage includes 15+ welding career specializations, ranging from entry-level Welding Fabricator and Shipfitter roles to advanced paths such as Underwater Welder, Welding Engineer, Robotic Welding Technician, and Welding Research Scientist, each with salary benchmarks (entry, median, and "go-getter" earnings) and minimum education requirements.

The business model is freemium in form but nonprofit in substance: the portal generates no direct revenue from job seekers or employers, and no pricing or subscription fees are charged. Funding flows from the AWS Foundation (which has awarded over $15 million and 12,000+ scholarships to welding students) and from Lincoln Electric as co-founding partner providing the Welding Technology and Training Center and co-branded distribution. Go-to-market is community-led, leveraging AWS's 65,000+ member network, Lincoln Electric's extensive social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube), and channel partnerships with six major trade unions (Ironworkers, Boilermakers, UA Plumbers & Pipefitters, SMART Sheet Metal Workers, Millwrights, Operating Engineers) for apprenticeship distribution. Customer segments are split between aspiring/entry-level welding professionals (primary persona) and experienced professionals seeking advancement, with construction and manufacturing employers as a secondary business-unit segment accessing the platform for recruitment.

Name

Welding Industry

Legal name

American Welding Society Foundation

Website

https://careersinwelding.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Careers in Welding is a free nonprofit career portal, operated by the American Welding Society Foundation and Lincoln Electric, that connects welding job seekers across all 50 US states with education pathways, apprenticeships, scholarships, and welding-industry employment opportunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Career Guidance

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Welding Codes, Safety & Compliance Training (AWS/ASME/OSHA) (EDAOADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pipe Welding & Industrial Piping Fabrication Training (EDAOADAB), Underwater/Marine Welding Training (EDAOADAM)

Keywords

• Welding career resources
• Apprenticeship finder
• Workforce development
• Career guidance portal
• Welding education directory

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Free Career Resource Portal: The Careers in Welding portal operates as a free information resource for job seekers, funded by the American Welding Society Foundation. Revenue is not directly generated from portal users; instead, the platform serves the AWS mission of workforce development in the welding industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Careers in Welding is a free online career guidance portal for the welding industry that aggregates 15+ welding career profiles with salary data, connects job seekers with accredited schools, apprenticeships, scholarships, and a dedicated welding job board. It is a joint initiative of the American Welding Society (AWS) Foundation and Lincoln Electric, designed to address skilled welder shortages by guiding individuals into welding careers.

Product overview

Careersinwelding.com is an informational career guidance portal for the welding industry, not a unified software product. The platform aggregates 15 distinct career profiles (ranging from Welding Fabricator to Welding Research Scientist), each with salary data and education requirements. It connects users to apprenticeship opportunities through union directories and provides scholarship resources via the AWS Foundation. The portal also integrates educational tools including the AWS education directory and Lincoln Electric's Welding Technology and Training Center content. The site serves job seekers and career changers rather than offering a software platform with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Careers in Welding Portal A career guidance and information platform for the welding industry that aggregates career profiles, education pathways, apprenticeship resources, and job search tools for job seekers exploring welding careers.
• Welding Career Profiles Detailed role profiles covering 15 welding professions (Shipfitter, Pipefitter, Welding Fabricator, Boilermaker, Ironworker, Robotic Welding Technician, Underwater Welder, Welding Inspector, Welding Supervisor, Welding Engineer, Welding Research Scientist, Technical Sales, Welding Educator, Welding Technician, Pipeliner) with minimum education requirements and salary data (Entry Level, National Median, and Go-Getters Earn potential).
• Apprenticeship Finder A resource guide helping job seekers find welding apprenticeships, with preparation tips and directory links to union apprenticeship programs including Ironworkers, Boilermakers, UA Plumbers & Pipefitters, SMART Sheet Metal Workers, Millwrights, and Operating Engineers.
• Scholarship Resources Information about AWS Foundation scholarships awarded to welding students, providing financial support for welding education.
• AWS Student Membership AWS student membership program offering tools, training, and opportunities to support welding career development for students pursuing welding careers.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• American Welding Society (AWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWS is the primary founding partner of the Careers in Welding initiative. AWS connects thousands of students to tools, training, and opportunities through its education and business directory, certification programs, and professional network of 65,000+ members. The AWS Foundation has awarded over $15 million and 12,000 scholarships to welding students.
• Lincoln ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLincoln Electric is the co-founding partner of Careers in Welding and operates the Welding Technology and Training Center. The company provides education resources, co-branding on the portal, and social media promotion through its extensive channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Ironworkers UnionmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIronworkers Union offers apprenticeships that teach welding skills for structural steel and ornamental welding. Union apprenticeships typically run 3-4 years and are formal, competitive programs.
• Boilermakers UnionmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoilermakers Union specializes in welding for boilers, pressure vessels, and heavy steel structures. Offers competitive apprenticeship programs for aspiring boilermakers.
• Plumbers & Pipefitters (UA)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUnited Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Sprinkler Fitters offers apprenticeships where welding is integral for piping systems in industrial and commercial settings.
• Sheet Metal Workers (SMART)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSMART Union includes welding apprenticeships for HVAC systems, fabrication, and installation work.
• MillwrightsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUBC Millwrights Training provides apprenticeships that include welding for machinery installation and repair.
• Operating EngineersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOperating Engineers apprenticeship programs often require welding for heavy equipment maintenance and structural work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Indeed: Indeed is the world's largest general-purpose job board, aggregating millions of listings including welding and skilled-trade roles. It is comparable to Careers in Welding as a job-matching destination, though it is a horizontal platform without welding-specific career discovery, salary data, or apprenticeship routing.
• ZipRecruiter: ZipRecruiter is a major US-focused job marketplace that serves employers and job seekers across many occupations including skilled trades. It is comparable as an employment-matching platform overlapping with the careersinwelding.com job board, though without the niche welding education and apprenticeship focus.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn operates a global professional network and job platform widely used for skilled-trade hiring and career exploration. It competes with Careers in Welding in connecting job seekers (including welders) with employers, but does not provide welding-specific career profiles, apprenticeship directories, or scholarship resources.

Others

• WorkforceGPS (US Department of Labor): WorkforceGPS is a US Department of Labor initiative providing workforce development resources including apprenticeship information. It is thematically adjacent to Careers in Welding as a public-sector workforce development resource, though it serves a much broader population and trades portfolio.

Direct peers

• Lincoln Electric: Lincoln Electric is the co-founding partner of Careers in Welding and a leading manufacturer of welding equipment and consumables. It is comparable as the industry's major equipment/training provider and is one of the two strategic sponsors of the platform, with overlapping workforce development goals.
• Tradesmen International: Tradesmen International is a staffing provider specializing in skilled construction trades including welding, connecting trained craftspeople with employers. It is directly comparable to Careers in Welding in addressing the skilled-trade labor pipeline, but with a for-profit staffing model rather than an educational/career-discovery mission.
• American Welding Society (AWS): AWS is the co-founding partner of Careers in Welding and the industry's leading standards, certification, and professional membership body. It is the closest functional peer as the authoritative source for welding education, certification, scholarships, and professional development, on top of which the Careers in Welding portal is layered.

Emerging players

• Helmets to Hardhats: Helmets to Hardhats connects transitioning military members with registered apprenticeship programs in the construction industry, including welding. It is comparable as an apprenticeship-focused career pathway platform, though its target audience (military veterans) and scope (all construction trades) differ from Careers in Welding.
• Trade-Schools.net: Trade-Schools.net is an online directory of vocational and trade schools, including welding programs. It is comparable as a discovery resource connecting prospective students with accredited training, though it is broader across trades and lacks AWS/employer apprenticeship integration.
• Constructor Magazine / Career Center: Associated Builders and Contractors' Constructor platform includes career resources for construction trades including welding. It is a partial peer in workforce development for skilled trades, with overlapping apprenticeship and certification pathways but a broader construction industry focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LincolnElectric
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/lincolnelectrictv
• Facebookfacebook.com/LincolnElectric
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/welding-industry
• Instagraminstagram.com/lincolnelectric/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Welding Industry