Greenville Technical College has inaugurated its $32 million Center for Welding and Automation Excellence, a 44,000-square-foot facility designed to strengthen the welding workforce and expand training in advanced welding, automation and non-destructive testing (NDT).
Greenville Technical College officially opened the Center for Welding and Automation Excellence on Aug. 20 at its Brashier Campus in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The facility is described as the largest advanced welding facility in the Southeast and was developed in response to the continuing shortage of skilled welding technicians in the US.
Greenville Tech President Larry Miller said the country currently has around 400,000 job openings for welding technicians, while South Carolina is expected to require approximately 5,400 welders for upcoming energy-sector projects.
“Add to that the growing needs of our advanced manufacturing partners, and you can see that the demand is really high,” Miller said. “For every four welders who retire or leave the field, only one new welder is prepared to enter. The technical college system is doing a great job to fill that void.”
Expanded Welding and Automation Training
The new center increases Greenville Tech’s total number of welding stations from 90 to 122 booths. The facility also includes 16 robotic welding stations, up from four previously.
The welding stations and classrooms are located on the ground floor, alongside specialized laboratories covering several areas of welding and inspection.
The facility includes what Greenville Tech describes as the first artificial intelligence-powered welding lab in the United States. Other laboratories are dedicated to robotic welding, pipe welding, laser welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding, fabrication and non-destructive testing.
The combination of welding, robotics, AI and NDT training is intended to provide students with practical experience aligned with the needs of advanced manufacturing and other industrial sectors.
Facility Designed Around Hands-On Learning
The second floor of the Center for Welding and Automation Excellence features breakout rooms and dedicated study areas overlooking the welding stations below.
According to Miller, the facility was designed to make the learning environment visible and encourage student engagement, teamwork and curiosity.
“(Students are) going to develop skills that lead to highly successful and meaningful careers and the opportunity to build lives both for themselves and for families. That’s where workforce development becomes something even more important,” said Chad Cousins, board chair of the Greenville Tech Foundation.
Investment in the Future Welding Workforce
Greenville Tech broke ground on the facility in April 2025. During the planning process, the college’s leadership team conducted 10 benchmarking trips to assess approaches to welding and automation education.
The project received $15 million from the South Carolina General Assembly and $3 million in federal funding secured by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Students are scheduled to begin classes at the new center on Monday, Aug. 24. Greenville Tech also plans to establish a Wall of Graduates at the facility to recognize students who complete the welding technology program and the employers who hire them.
“I can’t wait to see that wall fill up,” Miller said. “We want to celebrate our students’ success, but more importantly, we want to recognize the employers who are hiring them to inspire our current students.”
With expanded welding booths, robotic systems, AI-enabled training and dedicated NDT facilities, the Center for Welding and Automation Excellence represents a significant investment in workforce development for welding and advanced manufacturing.
