Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 7

12 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7 for economic growth, a retiring workforce, career advancement of the workforce, and technological advancements (Emsi, March 2020). With many high schools and junior colleges under-resourced throughout the United States, it is difficult to close the gap. Over the past three years, Airgas has built on the success of a pilot program in Philadelphia and expanded the Airgas High School Welding Education Initiative to add additional underserved schools to the program. In 2020, 65 Airgas associates from 10 regions provided socially distant support to more than 1,000 welding students, 152 teachers and 29 schools and donated welding machines, consumables and PPE. Andy Cichocki, Airgas Chief Operating Officer, commented: “As professionals in the metal fabrication industry, many of us know first-hand the importance of providing students with early exposure to emerging welding opportunities. We must continue to support our local communities and to find opportunities to enlist future generations of talented welders.” *Airgas®, an Air Liquide company, is one of the largest U.S. suppliers of safety products; and a leading U.S. supplier of ammonia products and process chemicals. Dedicated to improving the performance of its more than 1 million customers, Airgas safely and reliably provides products, services and expertise through its more than 18,000 associates, over 1,400 locations, robust e-Business platform, and Airgas Total Access® telesales channel. For more information, please visit airgas.com . Participating schools will receive a customized mix of hands- on professional development training or continuing education for welding teachers, welding consumables or equipment, safety PPE - such as RADNOR® welding and safety products - and other resources