Fort Erie welding students craft 8-foot sculpture as OSAP cuts loom

Steel plates cut from student drawings now form the outline of a large face sculpture at Cappa College’s Fort Erie campus, where welding instructor Ben Nagy says the project doubles as hands-on training and a platform for student artistry.

The work, led by Venezuelan artist and welding student José Manuel, comes as Nagy warns provincial OSAP changes for private career colleges could reduce who can afford trade training in the months ahead.

Nagy told Fort Erie Radio that Manuel is assembling the sculpture after drawing the shapes for classmates to cut with a plasma cutter as part of a project for the class of 18 students.

“It’s a one-shot deal. You can’t be shaky when you’re welding it at all,” said Nagy.

The sculpture measures about eight feet by eight feet and builds on a previous class project in which Manuel and classmates created a nearly six-foot metal horse last December now displayed in Cappa College.

The new face sculpture and other student fabrication pieces are kept in a large room viewable during open houses. The pieces are not planned for outdoor display because of safety concerns.

“It’s sharp. I was thinking about putting it on the front lawn, but someone’s going to get hurt,” Nagy said.

Nagy is preparing students for formal certification with a Canadian Welding Bureau which is recognized across Canada and “even into the States,” which he said can help graduates get a leg up when they apply for work.

He said that path to better-paying welding work could narrow if the recently announced changes to OSAP by the Ford government will likely leave future students unable to afford private trade training.

“I keep hearing ads on the radio on the way to work about how the government needs trades for all this infrastructure, and then all of a sudden this comes up,” said Nagy.

Public schools have seen OSAP support drop to 25 per cent while private trade schools funding has been dropped to zero after previously being covered at 85 per cent.

“It’s going to hurt people trying to get into the trades because nobody has thousands and thousands of dollars to send to a school when they’re trying to pay for rent, food, and gas,” said Nagy.

Students already approved for OSAP should not lose funding immediately, as the changes go into effect in September.

Cappa College starts new students on the first Monday of every month. Nagy expects prospective students will seek out other funding, take out loans or try to rush applications before the changes to OSAP take effect.

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