Brad Lowe, technical trainer for the Advanced Welding Program at the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI), has earned one of the highest achievements for a welder: certified welding instructor status from the American Welding Society, the premier industry accreditor.
With this new certification, Lowe will inspect the welds of students in RCBI’s career skills programs as well as perform on-site inspections for manufacturers across the region. RCBI’s other welding instructor, Eric Cochran of St. Albans, also is a certified welding inspector.
Inspectors are responsible for overall safety, ensuring that welds and welding operations meet safety codes and specifications. To qualify to test to become a certified welding instructor, individuals must demonstrate that they have extensive education and experience in the field.
Lowe has 25 years of welding experience and is a graduate of the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Troy, Ohio – one of the country’s premier welding programs – and has earned more than 50 welding certifications. He joined RCBI in spring 2021 as the technical trainer for the Advanced Welding program. He also serves as an instructor of the Welding Technology Program offered in partnership with Mountwest Community and Technical College.
The Ironton, Ohio, resident previously served as a welder for Tri-America Contractors of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and completed a five-year apprenticeship with Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 577. A U.S. Army veteran, he is a graduate of Ironton High School.
To contact Lowe or learn more about RCBI’s Advanced Welding Program, email or call 304.781.1668.
- Dec 25, 2022
