WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Welding students at Penn College’s Williamsport campus are hard at work. High Steel Structures recently donated $100,000 in scrap metal to the welding program.

“It’s super nice to have all this equipment available to us so we can practice and just get better at welding in general,” said Kevin Scharba, a welding student.

“That’s a lot of practice time,” said welding instructor James Colton. “So they can constantly cut it up and reuse it. We reuse until there’s nothing left. We turn around and throw away what’s left.”

The scrap will be used for the college’s welding and metal fabrication programs. The students have already started using scrap metal.

“A lot of these donations we received are used in our courses,” Scharba added.

“So far, I’ve been able to use all this metal making different joint configurations,” said welding student Michael Shoemaker.

High Steel Structures has facilities in Williamsport and Lancaster. They are one of the leading fabricators of steel for bridge projects in North America. Steel prices have increased significantly in recent years. The college says this donation will go a long way.

“Everyone experiences some form of supply chain crisis. Being able to have excess material allows students to practice, learn, and build that ability to gain greater skills,” Elizabeth said. Biddle, director of corporate relations at the school.

Penn College students say this steel is their next step to entering the workforce.

“Being here and training as much as possible, just welding everyday because that’s how you get better. At the end of the day, it’s just time under the hood, welding and figuring out how you like soldering,” Scharba said.

This donation from High Steel Structures is their largest donation to date.

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