This Handy Merit Badge is Red-Hot!

Photo credit: Bryan on Scouting

Earning a merit badge isn’t just about donning colorful new additions to your uniform. More importantly, it’s about building new skills and uncovering a passion for something you may not have tried otherwise.

Thanks to BSA’s partnership with Lincoln Electric, more Scouts across the country are trying their (gloved) hands at welding, which can be both a lucrative trade skill and a form of artistic expression—and a great way to earn a merit badge!

“Since welding is so relevant to our lifestyle, we need to invest and find the next generation of educated workers in the welding industry to keep up with the changing technologies around welding,” said Lincoln Electric’s Charlie Cross.

April is National Welding Month

Earlier this month, Bryan on Scouting wrote about BSA’s relationship with the Cleveland-based electric company and shared how Lincoln Electric even helped develop the Welding Merit Badge.

Bryan also detailed how a troop of Scouts from the Sequoyah Council recently joined Lincoln Electric and the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing for a day of welding adventure.

“One of our goals for merit badges is to blend in some fun components,” he says. “I am certain every Scout who participated had an experience they will remember for years to come.” The troop’s Scoutmaster, Scott Schallon told Bryan.

Explore a Career in Welding

But Boy Scouts aren’t the only one’s heating up in the world of welding! Exploring, BSA’s career education program, offers a look into professional welding, along with several other skilled trades.

Skilled Trades Career Exploring is a hands-on program open to young men and women from the 6th grade to 20 years old with an interest in learning more about careers in the fields of skilled trades. This program provides youth with an opportunity to network with professionals who work in these careers every day and can offer insights on the industry and how to succeed. Head to Exploring.org to see how you can get involved in your area!

For more on the Welding Merit Badge, as well as a list of welding events happening in councils around the country, head to Bryan on Scouting for the full story.

Do you know anyone who discovered a talent for skilled trades through Scouting or Exploring? Share your story in the comments!