Hypertherm Associates supported high school student Autumn Mayo’s aspirations for a career in the metal trades by sending her a plasma cutting tool that she will use at trade school this fall. In this photo, Autumn is pictured performing a welding operation. (Photo courtesy Hypertherm Associates)
HANOVER, N.H.—What’s the perfect gift for a high school graduating senior? In response to receiving an invitation to 17-year old Autumn Mayo’s Sitka, Alaska, high school graduation, Hypertherm Associates sent her a Powermax45 XP plasma cutter complete with cartridges, along with signed copy of famous metal artist Rae Ripple’s book “When I Grow Up.”
“At Hypertherm, we believe in what Autumn and her teachers are doing. Autumn is a perfect example of the students we’re trying to reach and support through our company’s mission,” said Stephen Bruner, regional marketing and revenue operations director for Hypertherm, in a company release.
Autumn’s journey into welding began in her high school’s metal shop and welding classes, where she developed her skills under the mentorship of her teacher. Having successfully completed courses in metalwork, engines, arc welding, and plasma cutting, Autumn is preparing to further her education at the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Arizona this fall.
Like many students attending trade schools, Autumn will be responsible for supplying her own tools, which can be expensive. In her search for the best equipment, she discovered Hypertherm’s plasma cutting technology.
“When I attend school in Arizona, we have to bring some of our own gear. So, I researched companies that had good supplies and saw Hypertherm. They just stuck out,” Mayo said in the release.
Autumn is a part of the growing number of high school students who are focusing on career and technical education (CTE) programs, a number which Hypertherm is focused on nurturing.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that the number of female welders has soared in recent years. Their numbers indicate that between 2016 and 2019, the number of women in the welding industry increased by 30 percent. Even with that increase, women welders only made up 3.8 percent of the welding industry in 2020. Today, they are reported to account for “a little over 6 percent of welders,” the release said.
“One way we are addressing the skilled labor shortage is by committing to this next generation of the workforce with our Spark Something Great grant,” Bruner said. “It helps those schools by providing a versatile system instructors can use to teach handheld and mechanized cutting, as well as applications such as gouging, flush cutting, and marking. We wish Autumn nothing but the very best in her next chapter and are happy to be part of her future success.”
Hypertherm Associates is a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting products and software. Its products, including Hypertherm plasma and OMAX waterjet systems, are used by companies around the world to build ships, airplanes, and railcars; construct steel buildings, fabricate heavy equipment, erect wind turbines, and more. The company is a 100 percent associate-owned company, employing approximately 2,000 associates.