17-year-old Aroostook welder got his start as a preteen and now seeks national title

WOODLAND, Maine – A Woodland teenager who is almost certainly Aroostook County’s youngest licensed welder is sure for a nationwide expertise levels of competition in Ga.

When Caribou Large College junior Jesse Taggett was just 10 decades old, he commenced pursuing his father, Rick Taggett, around his welding store. Watching his dad fabricate every little thing from snowmobiles to farm tools, he caught the spark himself.

Father and son will head to the SkillsUSA Nationwide Leadership & Skills Conference in Atlanta, Ga, in June, representing the Caribou Know-how Center. But whilst some of his peers started welding in college plans, Jesse, now 17, has been racking up countrywide certifications considering the fact that he was 12. At initially he just wanted to spend much more time with his father, but wound up building a basis in the trade.