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Evan Retherford - Central Technology Center and SkillsUSA

Friday, September 24, 2021

State champion welder graduates high school with honors – AND a job offer.

THEN: He didn’t like it when his Ripley High School friends teased him about not knowing how to do metal work. It wasn’t that Evan Retherford couldn’t weld, it was simply a lack of training.

Before he signed up for an introduction to welding class, Retherford thought he wanted to be a truck driver. But after he finished the class, which was part of his agricultural education curriculum, he realized he enjoyed welding enough to enroll in a two-year welding program at Central Technology Center.

At Central Tech, he learned to weld, but he also

  • Received numerous certifications, including OSHA 10, the Platinum level in the WorkKeys test, forklift certification, GMAW (gas metal arc welding), FCAW (flux-cored arc welding), SMAW (shielded metal arc welding), GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding), PAC (plasma arc welding), CAC (carbon arc cutting) and fire extinguisher.
  • Received the National Technical Honor Society award for having all A’s in his Central Tech classes as well as at least 97% attendance and an A/B grade point average at Ripley High.
  • Developed important leadership skills.
  • Improved his worth ethic.
  • Placed first in the state in the welding sculpture event.

Retherford was Class of 2021 valedictorian at Ripley, and he was offered a full-time welding job before he graduated in May.

“Other people go to college, spend a lot of money and may not receive a good paying job at the end of it,” he said. "I wanted to prove you can make a lot of money working a trade.” 

NOW: A welder at Ditch Witch in Perry, making $48,000 plus benefits, right out of high school. At that salary, it would appear that Retherford has proved his point.

Last Modified on Oct 24, 2023