ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — An Albany Technical College student is earning national recognition after taking home a bronze medal at the 2026 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.

Eleanor Handwerk, 21, a sophomore in Albany Tech’s Welding and Joining Technology program, placed third in the national welding sculpture competition. Competitors were tasked with designing and fabricating an original welded sculpture.

Handwerk said she entered the program with no prior welding experience but quickly discovered a passion for the trade.

“Once I had gotten into the program and I had done it for a couple of weeks, I really started to enjoy it,” she said. “I’m very proud of the work that I did.”

Albany Technical College’s (ATC) welding program serves 48 students, including 23 high school students, an ATC instructor said. Five of the 48 students in the program are women.

“Once you get into learning about [welding] and the process of doing it, and once you are working with your hands, it gets easier,” Handwerk said.

The recognition comes as demand for skilled welders remains strong nationwide.

The Technical College System of Georgia lists welding positions as high-demand jobs across the state of Georgia and in the Southwest Georgia region.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the state of Georgia estimates roughly 1,720 open welding jobs every year.

Nationally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employers are expected to have about 45,800 welding-related job openings each year through 2033.

“Anywhere you go down to — say one of the main streets here in town — there’s always a building going up somewhere. If you look at it, there’s structural welding,” ATC welding program chair, Mark Benton said. “Anything on the job site, any heavy equipment, it’s got weld on it somewhere.”

Benton said welding “makes the world around” and encourages students to try it. Handwerk said she is considering a future in repair work or as a traveling welder.

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