Mentoring the next generation of elite welders

“I don’t want them to get a participation award; I want them to get a trophy. I like seeing people learn and grow. I feel like I’m investing in people, and I want to have an impact on them and help them succeed.” -- Ken Heinritz, Welding instructor

Welding instructor Ken Heinritz has spent the majority of his spring semester Saturday mornings since 2018 at Waukesha County Technical College. He hasn’t been teaching classes or going to meetings. Instead, he’s been working with groups of students whose sights were set on participating in SkillsUSA competitions to showcase their top-notch skills – and bring home some bragging rights and a bit of shiny new hardware.

Consistently, from 8 a.m. to noon, Heinritz has coached students on cutting processes and welding techniques, including stick, TIG, MIG and flux-cored arc welding, to prepare them for the upcoming competitions.

Award-winning welders
And that hard work has paid off for students. In the past eight years, Heinritz’s students have brought home more than 30 awards in the Welding-Individual, Welding-Team and Welding-Sculpture categories. Earlier this month, Heinritz’s student Shane Schroetter earned a silver medal at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Atlanta in the Welding-Individual category.  Earlier in April, Schroetter, along with students  Camden Brittnacher and Alex Howard, swept the Welding-Individual category at the SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC) in Madison, placing first, second and third, respectively. Also, Dual Enrollment Academy students Blake Olson and Emily Smith earned fifth- and ninth-place honors in the SLSC’s high school competition.

“I don’t want them to get a participation award; I want them to get a trophy,” Heinritz said. “I like seeing people learn and grow. I feel like I’m investing in people, and I want to have an impact on them and help them succeed.”

That level of dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. At the SLSC event, Heinritz was awarded Post-Secondary Advisor of the Year, which recognizes exceptional career and technical education instructors.

“Seeing Ken receive the Advisor of the Year award was awesome, and I believe very well deserved, too,” said Schroetter. “He puts so much time, effort and care into his students because he wants to see them succeed. He is a teacher that you can tell truly cares about his students’ outcomes.”

Encouraging students to compete 
Each year, Heinritz holds tryouts for students to see if they would be a good fit for the competition, and about 10 to 15 students participate in the process. He welcomes students who like to compete – and encourages those who might not have considered it. “Some are by personal invitation: there are students who don’t think they are very good – but they are,” he said.
Previous SLSC medalists serve as judges during the tryouts as they can identify good welds and those that need extra work.

“I want our students to do their best and elevate them to the next level,” he said.

And he’s proof that hard work and dedication will help them thrive. Heinritz, himself, is a WCTC graduate – Class of 1983 and an Outstanding Student Award winner. He spent 25 years working in industry, both in small and large shops, and he started teaching at WCTC in 2009. In those 17 years as an instructor, he estimates he’s taught more than 2,000 students to weld. He has also been integral in the coil winding program between WCTC and Eaton, having taught welding in several boot camps. He has also taught welding through the College’s Corporate Training Center, and he’s introduced welding to a younger audience through Boy Scout events like Tech Badges at the Tech College.

While it’s been just eight years since Heinritz and his students started participating in SkillsUSA competitions, it has become a passion of his and something he looks forward to every year.

“Seeing your students excel is very fulfilling. These are some of the highlights of my career. I feel so blessed that God has given me the ability to do this work.”