Students who graduate from the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College welding program now have a way to secure their future.

The college on Thursday signed an articulation agreement with the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada.

Lance Albin, UA international representative, spoke to students and officials gathered at the MacArthur campus.

He said UA is 350,000 members strong and has 275 local unions.

Through UA, people can sign up for a five-year apprenticeship to be a journeyman pipefitter.

Those who join the program have access to jobs they may not otherwise have been able to find.

“We do construction, maintenance and more on industrial, residential and commercial projects,” he said.

They work in a variety of sectors from universities to sewer treatment plants to housing authorities to chicken processing plants.

“We want to offer you a career in our industry, not just a job,” he said.

Albin said it’s no secret the construction industry goes up and down with the economy, but being a part of the local union allows members to call and get access to jobs, all while keeping their same health insurance and continuously earning pension credits.

“You never start over,” he said. “That’s what separates us from the rest.”

Albin said they were not trying to steal students from the LBWCC program.

“We want you to finish here,” he said. “Then come to us and finish our program to be a complete journeyman. Welding is just a piece. There is a whole lot more to being a journeyman.”

Albin said that the doors are wide open for those who choose the program.

“You can be a foreman, a project manager,” he said. “We have company owners who went through the same program. On the union side, you can be an instructor for the local chapter. The sky is the limit.”

Albin said that UA reviewed the LBWCC curriculum, looked at training and the facilities before concluding that it met its standards to allow it to take the place of some of the training.

“You must be drug-free,” he said “You must have reliable transportation and you must be ready to work.”

Depending on the number of certifications and work experience, graduates of the LBWCC program can earn a year to two-and-a-half years toward the UA program.

For those looking for something in demand, they may want to consider the journeyman program.

“Our industry has an aging problem,” he said. “There is a lot of work and a lot of our workers will be retiring in about five years. Then we’ll have a huge manpower problem.”

LBWCC Vice President Dr. Jim Krudop hailed the agreement a huge day for LBWCC.

“We are so excited about this union,” he said. “You don’t see this every day.”