Welder sparks his way to second at nationals

Utah State Eastern student Jordan Packer finished second this month at The American Welding
Society Final Weld-Off Trials against competitors from the United States and Canada.
“I couldn’t even begin to express how proud I am of Jordan,” said Austin Welch, assistant professor of
welding at USUE. “He is a once-in-a-lifetime type of student.”
Welch said that Packer, a native of Provo, had to complete numerous steps to advance. Among them:
 Win competitions with his classmates at USUE.
 Win UtahSkills USA Welding competition last year to advance to the nationals.
 Be among 100 contestants from 2019 and 2021 selected by the WorldSkills contest
committee to participate in the USA Trials.
 Make the final six after submitting a project by mail to the contest committee.
The winner goes on to represent the United States at WorldSkills in Shanghai, China.
“Jordan actually competed against former gold medalists from the 2019 and 2021 SkillsUSA national
competitions, and none of them made it to the final round last week,” Welch said. “There is not a higher
level of competitive welding.“