Florence, South Carolina welding instructor will be on Monster Garage

I've posted several times about two trends: (1) The lack of female welders and metalworkers, and (2) The general shortage of welding professionals overall. That means that companies are scratching their collective heads to attract welders to an industry where half the people in the country aren't interested in dealing with.

The television Show "Monster Garage" is showcasing a female welding instructor from South Carolina. Good for her. A snippet from the longer story...

Twenty-nine-year-old Sue Benton spent most of her career fighting the female stereotype.

The Florence resident discovered welding as she finished up high school and pursued her newfound passion, in spite of all the people who warned her against it.

When she started at Florence-Darlington Technical College, Benton’s instructor pulled her aside.

“He was concerned I wasn’t going to make it because I was a girl,” she said. “He told me, ‘You’re going to get burned, hot and sweaty.’ I told him ‘I can do this, there’s no doubt in my mind.’”

Ten years later, Benton has been selected to appear as a welder on an episode of the Discovery Channel’s “Monster Garage,” where celebrity bike builder Jesse James leads a team in turning regular vehicles into unique machines.

Benton, who is now a welding instructor at Florence-Darlington Technical College, leaves Monday for a weeklong, all expenses paid trip to California to film the show.

“I was honored to be asked,” she said. “I watch the show all the time. Jesse James is a master of what he does, an extremely talented person.”

Benton’s own path to success was not always an easy one.

After acing a welding test for a local company, she was turned down for the job because she’s a woman. “You’re one of the best welders I’ve seen,” Benton was told, “but my boss thinks you’ll distract the other workers.”