CIVIT Welding Program excels

Welding Instructor Charlie Valenzuel is on a mission. 

Charlie Valencia is a welding instructor with decades of experience in mining, so he knows what it takes to make it in the business and survive. He spent decades in the mining industry and is a baseball coach at High Desert Middle School.

“I love working with kids,” he says. “The main thing is to always stay positive. When they make mistakes, I use it as a teaching opportunity.”

Charlie came into the program midway through last year, and seamlessly picked up the program. in his first year, 100% of his students passed the Arizona Department of Education technical skills assessment/industry certification testing. 

That makes the Gila Community College CVIT program number one in the state in Technical Skills Assessment. 

“Charlie has done an exceptional job,” says CVIT Executive Program Director Mike O’Neal. “That’s the first time ever we’ve had that level of success in testing.”

That makes the Gila Community College CVIT program number one in the state in Technical Skills Assessment. 

In an increasingly technically driven field, learning the basics and gaining certification is a must and Charlie Valencia is there to ensure his students get the best out of themselves.

“The kids I release should jump right in front of the line when they apply for jobs,” he says. “Our kids know the right material, technology and the right welds and the certification backs them up.”