Area residents interested in a career in welding can begin registering now for the MIG Welding workshop at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP).

The free, 20-hour intensive training workshop will be 4 to 8 p.m. each day June 26-30. It will be offered through the Terry L. “Bo” Pace Advanced Welding and Fabrication Technology Program in the Terry L. “Bo” Pace Industrial Science Center, 218 W. Broadway in West Plains, officials said.

Participants will learn the basic welding skills needed to fill technician-level full-time jobs or enter registered apprenticeship opportunities in the welding industry, officials said.

The session is limited to 15 participants, and all participants must be 18 years of age and above.

The deadline to register is June 9.

The cost of the program is being covered by a welding workforce grant from the Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation (MSLF). The MSLF was created in 2010 and is a tax-exempt, nonprofit, 501(C)(3) corporation.

The foundation was formed by the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) to help make higher education more accessible and affordable for Missouri families, according to the foundation’s website.

For more information about the welding workshop and how to apply, contact Sheila Barton, director of workforce development, at 417-255-7784 or SheilaFBarton@MissouriState.edu.