High school junior Leland O’Brien tried his hand at using a torch for the first time recently in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center Welding and Metal Fabrication program.

Under the watchful eye of teacher Micah Belgiano, the Cohoes High School student cuts a straight line on a piece of metal on only the third day of the program. 

“I like it a lot. It seems like something I want to do for a job,” O’Brien said.

The Cohoes teen said he chose welding because it interested him and because “I want to be the first person in my family to weld and the first person to be an underwater welder.”

Offered on the Schoharie and Albany CTE campuses, the Capital Region BOCES Welding and Metal Fabrication program prepares students with the skills they need to either directly enter the workforce or expand their skills in a college or trade school. During the two-year program that is taught on the Albany and Schoharie campuses, students learn American Welding Society standards and earn certifications that prepare them for a career in the welding industry.