Fast Track to a Career in Welding

Brandon Capretta Chose LCCC’s Fast-Track Program After High School, Earning Two Welding Certifications and Landing a Full-Time Job. 

At 17, Brandon Capretta didn’t have a driver’s license, a car or a clear idea of what he wanted to do after graduating from high school a year early. He was hardworking and ambitious, but still wondering what came next. College didn’t seem financially feasible—until he discovered Lorain County Community College’s Fast-Track programs.

“Fast-Track helps students like me who want to make something of themselves after they graduate high school, but don’t want to give their lives away to the cost of college,” Capretta said. “I wanted something that gave me hope for the future and something that I could work hard to obtain.”

Capretta, who lives in Lorain, enrolled in LCCC’s Fast-Track Welding Technology program and pursued his AWS-3F Certification. The program teaches the skills needed to pass one of the American Welding Society’s AWS-3F certification categories and prepares students for entry-level employment in a variety of industries that rely on welding.

For Capretta, welding opened the door to opportunity.

“There are so many things you can learn and do with welding that you’re not limited just to one thing in your career,” he said. “And there are always welders needed. I knew I’d never be out of a job.”

Beyond career opportunities and stability, Capretta also found beauty in welding.

“I just fell in love with it,” he said. “To me, it’s a work of art, being able to bond pieces of metal together with fire and electricity at 10,000 degrees. It’s so fun when you have the skills and can do it right and safely.”

In just 16 weeks, Capretta learned everything from basic welding techniques to industry codes and regulations and the fundamental principles behind a weld. The timeline was intense, particularly for someone starting from scratch, but Capretta knew he would catch on quickly.

So did the management team at his current employer, Skylift Inc., where he was hired as a full-time welder just weeks into the Fast-Track program.

“I didn’t have any welding experience, but because I was coming here to LCCC, I got the job,” Capretta said.

LCCC welding program coordinator, Taylor Sabo, said this is a common occurrence for students within the program.

“Welding companies need employees now,” Sabo said. “The Fast-Track program allows LCCC to deliver on that and, based on past hires and the strength of our program, Skylift feels confident hiring our students.”

The combination of hands-on lab instruction and on-the-job experience was exactly what Capretta needed to accelerate his learning.

“Working in the field while in school really elevated my learning,” he said. “I got that extra instruction in the Fast-Track program, and it made me ready to go the next day at work.”

While the hours in the day seemed more limited than ever, as Capretta balanced school and full-time employment, he knew his future career opportunities would be anything but.

“It was a lot at first to add in full-time work, but it was in my field,” he said. “And I knew, because I was in the Fast-Track program, that I didn’t have to worry about the stress of paying for college. Once I had that mindset, it wasn’t even considered work. It was considered freedom.”

Capretta initially planned to earn only his AWS-3F Certification, which he completed in May 2025. But when Sabo told him the Fast-Track program also included a Gas Metal Arc Welding Certificate of Completion, he jumped at the opportunity.

“LCCC’s initial certificate is great for getting students in the door and many return to the college to continue their education afterward, in order to move up in the industry over time,” Sabo said.

In July 2026, Capretta earned his second certification.

“I asked myself why not? If I get the opportunity, why not take it,” he said. “That’s what Fast-Track can do. It can help people get on their feet and get a college education without having to sacrifice so much.”

The welding technology and AWS-3F certification preparation certificate is part of LCCC’s Fast-Track program, which prepares students to work in several high-demand industries in as little as 16 weeks and at minimal to no cost. Learn more at www.lorainccc.edu/fasttrack.