ABOVE PHOTO: Kyle Karr, right, a Chippewa Valley Technical College Welding Program graduate, and his father Keith Karr, a CVTC welding instructor, get the chance to work together during the summer. Kyle said it’s a great opportunity to continue learning from his dad.
Keith Karr jokes that he works during the summer to pay for his teaching habit. But in all honesty, he really loves welding.
Each summer, the Chippewa Valley Technical College welding instructor finds a gig in his trade to keep his skills brazing hot. The cherry on top is when he gets to work with CVTC graduates out in the field.
“This summer I worked with a guy who was a student of mine a couple of years ago,” Karr said. “I had no clue he would be on this job, too. I’ve actually run into a few students that I taught.”
“For a first-year apprentice, he was doing far beyond what I would have expected.”
Karr said as an instructor in the CVTC Welding Program, his goal is to give students an overview of the welding industry so they can take their education and make the career they want.
He ensures they’re able to “hit the ground running” by providing them with the necessary foundation, regardless of the welding career path they choose.
But it’s not just past students that Karr sees on his summer jobs. If he’s lucky, he will also get to work alongside his son, Kyle, who is also a graduate of the Welding Program at CVTC.
Kyle Karr, a Stevens Point High School graduate, took welding classes in high school and followed in his dad’s footsteps by attending CVTC in 2020. After graduating from college in 2021, he got a welding gig in Marshfield, fabricating brewery tanks.
During that summer, he worked with his dad as a pre-apprentice. Kyle Karr said his dad’s drive, work ethic and profession had a positive impact on him growing up.
“My parents set me up perfectly for me to be where I am today,” he said. “I just had to follow through and give it my all.”
But it’s not a stretch. Kyle Karr said he would be outside in the garage with his dad, fixing something, or be downstairs helping his dad with electrical work.
“I was always with him – hanging out and working with my hands,” he said. “That’s what I’ve always done best. That’s why I’m a welder. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
