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John Cook, 47, spent his work life in construction trades, as a carpenter and in other capacities. He was laid off two years ago and has been unemployed since, looking for small handyman-type projects to keep him busy.

鈥淚 decided, after turning in about 10,000 applications, to go back to school,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淚 hadn’t been to school in 29 years.鈥�

Cook, like many others, has turned to Portland Community College’s welding training program. It has a long waiting list and alumni who have successfully found work after finishing. For students like Cook who have struggled to land work in trades hit hardest by the recession, a specialized skill like welding provides more security.

Cook said he believes being skilled in welding will help him get a job 鈥� perhaps more so than his carpentry experience.

鈥淭here are a lot more carpenters,鈥� he said.

Welding instructor Mike Rasmussen teaches classes four days per week in the PCC training center on Swan Island. His current class features 18 trainees at all different levels 鈥� some looking to add specific skills they found they lacked in a welding job, and others new to the trade.

Rasmussen said he is seeing students come from residential construction and other trades in a search for more stable work.

鈥淚’ve had students come in that have worked as carpenters or something of that nature. That part of the construction trade has fallen through the basement,鈥� Rasmussen said.

He attributes the relative attractiveness of the welding trade to the fact that it has other uses besides construction. Welders work on steel girders of buildings, in fabrication shops, and on trolleys, streetcars, barges and oil rigs, Rasmussen said.

鈥淲hat we do has nothing to do with residential; we’re more on major construction projects,鈥� Rasmussen said. 鈥淭he economy’s still crappy, but there are some construction jobs that are starting to open up, and a lot of those use welders.鈥�

Student Emily Meier is entering the trades after following high school with a few years as a bike messenger. She participated in Oregon Tradeswomen’s apprenticeship program, and said she has already taken on some work welding in between classes at PCC.

鈥淎ll of the trades are hard right now, but (welding) is a little more specialized of a skill鈥� than other trades, said Meier, who expects her experience to make work a little easier to find.

Before getting into Rasmussen’s class, however, Meier said that she was on a long waiting list for multiple semesters. Brian Turmail, spokesman for the Associated General Contractors of America, said his industry group and others are trying to encourage more training programs like those at PCC.

One of AGC’s main priorities is to train new, young workers by encouraging skills-based education and construction-focused charter schools. AGC also is working with the U.S. Department of Education, 鈥渞ethinking our education and making sure we’ve got federal policies that encourage skills-based curricula,鈥� Turmail said.

The program at PCC seems to be working. Rasmussen said that connections with surrounding businesses like Vigor Industrial provide an easy path for the top students to find work. That is their top priority.

鈥淭he more things you have on your r茅sum茅, the better,鈥� Cook said.