​On April 3rd, 2019, Mariana Ludmer, California Welding Institute’s Operations Manager, Matt Miller, American Welding Society’s CEO and Samantha Farr, Women Who Weld’s CEO, participated in a presentation and panel discussion lead by Jennifer Traut-Todaro from AISC, about the shortage of welders in the trades. Matt talked about the shortage of skilled labor of about 400,000 unfulfilled jobs by 2024, while Mariana and Samantha talked about how they are helping to address the shortage through their innovative educational programs and community and industry involvement.