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Fort Carson Welding Class 28 begins UA VIP training

The United Association Veterans in Piping (UA VIP) program welcomed another class of transitioning active-duty service members who are interested in training for a future civilian career in the pipe trades. 

On April 22, Fort Carson Welding Class 28 students began their accelerated welding training.

UA VIP is a DOD SkillBridge program, designed to help active-duty service members smoothly transition from a life in the military to a rewarding civilian lifestyle. 

Fort Carson Welding Class 6 graduate and journeyman welder Jose Ballejo teaches the class with Ezra Saint-Peter. Ballejo and Saint-Peter teach students the basics of welding through classroom instruction and hands-on training. 

Army Staff Sgt. Antonio Molina is excited to learn welding skills that will help him begin a new civilian career in the pipe trades.  

“The UA VIP program is a great opportunity for service members,” Molina said. “No matter if you are a first-term soldier or a 22-year service member like me, the program provides a skill set that I would have never thought I would have learned, especially after being active duty for so long.”Fort Carson UA VIP Picture SSG Antonio Samuel Molina Jr.

He added that it is comforting to know that once he graduates from the program and transitions out of the Army, he will have a job lined up and continue his new welding journey. 

Molina likes that he will be taught by veterans who understand what he is going through as he transitions out of the military. 

“Having instructors who are veterans themselves is another level of comfort for us service members who are so used to being around military our entire careers,” he said. “They offer a different skill set and work experience that you can only find in the UA VIP program.” 

Over the next 118 days, Molina and his fellow Class 28 classmates will learn oxy-fuel cutting and SMAW and GRAW welding on plates and pipes. They will also receive certifications in SMAW and GTAW pipe welding. 

The UA VIP program offers training in welding, HVAC-R and fire suppression at the following seven military installations: 

Start a career with the UA today 

After graduating and transitioning out of the military, UA VIP students are placed into a DOL-registered UA apprenticeship program at an agreed-upon location, where they are guaranteed a job with a UA signatory contractor. 

Once VIP graduates begin their apprenticeship, they will receive good wages and comprehensive healthcare. As apprentices grow their knowledge and skills of the trade, they will receive wage increases to match their expanded skills. 

UA members have extensive opportunities to advance their careers. After apprentices top out, they will open the door to a plethora of career advancement opportunities as journeyman welders. 

All active-duty military members in their last six months of military commitment are encouraged to apply for the UA VIP program to start a rewarding civilian career. 

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