We know not everyone can make it to Vegas for this year’s show, so we’re bringing a little bit of SEMA 2009 to you.

We will be transmitting videos, photos, blogs and “tweets” live from SEMA 2009 (November 3-6, 2009) through social networking outlets Facebook and Twitter, our YouTube video channel, and by broadcasting the content through this social media page: www.MillerWelds.com/SEMA.

Here you can witness product demonstrations, interviews with industry professionals, welding-related content specific to the automotive specialty market, and photos and blogs documenting the show.

Beginning on November 3 you can enter here to win a brand new ArcStation™ welding workbench—the only workbench in the industry designed specifically for welders. This exciting new product is being introduced at the show on Tuesday and is sure to be a hit with pro fabricators and DIY/home shops alike.

So sit back and relax – we look forward hearing about your interest in the show.

If you haven’t already joined us on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, you can do so here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MillerWelders?ref=ts

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MillerWelders

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nielsmiller

Thanks!

The largest American welding, manufacturing and fabrication trade show of the year, the FABTECH International/AWS Welding Show, is less than a month away. Many insiders will be watching this year’s show in Chicago closely to gauge the economic condition of industry and where it is headed in the near future.

Strong attendance at the show will be taken as a sign that employers are at least thinking about investing in new equipment and are anticipating an economic recovery by looking into equipment that can give them a competitive advantage when the turnaround happens.

Trade shows also provide a glimpse into the types of markets that equipment manufacturers view as growth industries. As noted recently by Vicki Bell, editor of The Fabricator’s Web site, the Essen Welding and Cutting Show in Germany offered a preponderance of new products designed for the power generation industry. Wonder what we’ll see in Chicago?

Are you planning on attending the FABTECH International/AWS Welding Show? What will you be looking for at the show? Do you find tradeshows to be a valuable way of discovering new technologies and products, or are there other reasons you attend? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Summer’s over and school is back in session, but this fall, it’s not just for the kids. From South Carolina to Massachusetts to California, states across the country are experiencing huge surges in vocational and technical school enrollment among students in their 40’s and 50’s.

This should come as no surprise, given the state of the economy and the unemployment rate, but there are other less obvious reasons that probably share some of the credit for attracting more non-traditional sutdents into the trades.
One likely reason that the skilled trades are enjoying renewed appeal is that a plumber in China will be completely useless if your water pipes freeze and crack this winter — for the most part, skilled trade work cannot be outsourced to low wage countries. By contrast, employers are realizing that modern communications technology makes it possible to ship a great many jobs overseas, including engineers, bookkeepers, computer programmers and more.

Another possible explanation for increased trade school enrollment is the realization that these jobs can provide a very respectable living – in many cases, a journeyman willing to travel and work overtime can earn well into six figures.

And finally, popular culture must also take some of the credit for the skilled trade renaissance. Many new reality television shows, such as American Chopper, The Deadliest Catch and American Loggers, portray manual labor as a physically demanding, yet exciting and personally fulfilling life.

Are you seeing an increased interest in trade education among people over 40? What do you think is driving this trend? Share your thoughts on this subject by posting a comment below.