By Cintia Robledo, ROC Small Business Entrepreneurship

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Aaron Aguilar has been learning and experiencing everything Welding ever since he enrolled at the Regional Occupational Center last year. It actually all started when he was inspired by his father, a welder himself, to learn more about this important Kern County occupation. Aaron started at ROC when he was a junior in the Welding 1 program and now he has joined Fabrication (Welding 2).

The 540-hour yearlong high school training at ROC is an intense program, but one that lets many students gain real world experiences, learn faster, and train for their future. Now as a second year student Aaron and others are able to hone their skills by making actual projects.

Students joining ROC Fabrication will not only get the experience in the fabrication of metal items, but also advance their educational skills in areas such as math (basic measurements, fractions and decimals, angles and degrees), reading blueprints, and creating job estimates.

Aguilar, now a senior at Foothill High School in addition to his ROC class, is currently fabricating a barbeque grill with a classmate. He said “I love welding because it is like connecting puzzle parts to make a finished product.”

From the beginning Aguilar learned the importance of safety while in an industrial setting. Of course, some of that was learning the hard way; he says that burns and sparks are no fun! Fortunately, he always has his safety gear on and is aware of his surroundings. Once he graduates he hopes to turn his ROC training into a career.

By the looks of things, Aaron is well on his way to following in his father’s footsteps!