Skilled welders are in high demand, and a new program is offering a new career path.

A partnership of NCK Tech and the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development, Welding Employment Training, or WET, is designed to offer participants the very skills in high demand locally.

WET is an introductory course — free for qualified applicants — that requires no experience, and the first round of classes is set to begin Nov. 1.

Deadline to sign up for the first class is Oct. 25. Participants can call KansasWorks at (785) 625-5654 or stop by the office at 332 E. Eighth to register.

In addition to the Coalition, NCK Tech and KansasWorks, support from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and Kansas Department of Commerce helped make the program possible.