CTE Month: Matt Scott’s ‘School of Rock-Solid Skills’ energizes welding training
Story By James Hill and Misty Bouse. Photos by Ric Getter.
Matt Scott is the kind of instructor who keeps industry partners ‘at the table.’
Portland Community College is celebrating National Career and Technical Education Month this February.
PCC honors the programs that power the region’s workforce and transform students’ lives. At PCC, Career and Technical Education (CTE) is not just coursework, but is hands-on, career-ready training that helps students build real skills, real confidence, and real economic mobility.
Few stories capture that mission better than Matt Scott’s.
Scott began his career in the welding industry, learning the trade in the field before bringing that real-world expertise into the classroom. For more than three decades at PCC (32 years as an instructor) he has helped students move from curiosity to competence, and from practice booths to paid jobs.
It is CTE Month!
Community colleges like PCC are committed to filling high-demand jobs in their communities with the skills and training necessary for success in industries. Community colleges are strong partners to local business and industry, utilizing workforce professionals to guide programs through advisory committees.
This fall, that lifelong commitment was recognized on a national stage when Scott received a 35-year Lifetime Membership Award from the American Welding Society (AWS) at FABTECH, a major industry show. The honor reflects not only technical excellence, but the kind of service and leadership that grows the workforce one student at a time.
Those who work alongside Scott say the award fits him perfectly. Patty Hawkins, program dean for Electronics, Mechatronics, Advanced Manufacturing and PCC’s OMIC Training Center, described him as the kind of instructor who keeps industry partners “at the table” and keeps students at the center. She noted Scott is “always the first to arrive and the last to leave,” stepping in wherever the department needs support—because he cares about the program and the people in it.
Scott is also PCC’s high school liaison for welding, building bridges for younger learners who may not realize welding is even an option. He partners with area high schools to introduce students to the trade and help them earn college credit while still in high school, saving time and money—and opening opportunities earlier than they thought possible. “A lot of students don’t realize welding is even an option,” Scott said. “But once they try it, they see how many doors it can open.”
His teaching philosophy is grounded in patience, safety, and repetition—the heart of CTE.
“It’s okay to mess up as that’s part of learning,” he tells students. “What matters is that you keep practicing until it clicks and the skill becomes second nature.”
That mindset helps students persist through the hard parts, and it mirrors what employers want: steady, reliable problem-solvers.
The need is real. The AWS projects the industry will require 330,000 new welding professionals by 2028, and Scott’s message is clear: as long as PCC welding grads are actively seeking jobs, they will be actively hired, often with multiple offers.
To read more about Matt Scott’s dedication to teaching, visit his full feature.