A Walker County Schools student enrolled in the system’s Walker LAUNCH Dual Enrollment partnership with Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) recently boosted his commitment to the welding profession.

When LaFayette High School student Garrett Rollins graduates May 27 with his diploma, he will already have multiple welding certificates and a full-time job waiting for him at a Metro Boiler Tube, where he currently works part-time. Walker County Schools and GNTC officials hosted a ceremony on May 5 in which Rollins signed a job offer from Metro; the signing was in conjunction with SkillsUSA National Signing Day, which celebrates high school seniors and college/postsecondary students who have chosen to pursue a career as a professional in any of the skilled trades.

“At age 14 my uncle, who was already a welder, said, ‘You will be a welder,’” Rollins said, explaining that his uncle spotted his aptitude early on. “Welding is something you either can or can’t do. It is mostly based on skills and the patience to learn. The knowledge clicked immediately that this would be my career.”

Rollins was also Walker County Schools’ first student to compete in the regional high school welding competition for SkillsUSA. He said he found the competition in December 2021 “nerve-racking.”

He took his time, stayed calm and focused on doing what he needed to do. “It’s all about quality, not speed,” he explained.

“Once my welding hood drops, I just think about that next weld,” he said.

He admits he sometimes still experiences frustration that he takes longer to prep his work than more experienced welders do to prep their welds, he said. His coworkers encourage him by reminding him that he will get faster with more experience.

Professional knowledge and personal growth are goals of the Walker LAUNCH program, said Julie Portwood, coordinator of Secondary Instruction and Walker LAUNCH for Walker County Schools.