Online platform, new shop a part of California welder’s efforts to boost women in welding

At a recent private event at The Exploratory Academy, women welders gathered for a hands-on demonstration on how to make wine holders. Images: Tiffany Noel Orff

The numbers will vary depending on where you look, but they all tell the same story: Women welders make up a very small percentage of the workforce.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 3% of welders are women. The American Welding Society reports 5% of welders are women.

Tiffany Noel Orff has heard anywhere between 3% and 11% of welders are women; the 11% figure is a “bit of a reach,” she said.

Orff hopes her latest initiative plays a small role in boosting that number – or, at the very least, gets women more interested and informed on welding.

This spring Orff opened a 5,000-sq.-ft. facility in Salinas, Calif., that will serve as headquarters for her initiative Welding Women Syndicate, and The Exploratory Academy, a center to introduce women and youth to welding through quirky classes and events.

Orff began welding 13 years ago and hasn’t looked back ever since. Her path took her from her native California to Arkansas and back home, earning a welding technology college degree, becoming a welding instructor, and managing and owning a shop.

The WELDER spoke with Orff on her welding trajectory, women in welding, the new facility and programs, and social media.

TW: Could you describe your origins in the industry?

TO: I ended up walking into a custom suspension shop about 13 years ago. I was dating the owner. I basically went from the girlfriend to ‘Hand me that wrench’ to co-owner within a year and a half. I had my hands in everything from tack welding to machine maintenance to building lowriders and mini trucks to any custom auto suspension work that came into the shop.

TW: What was it about welding that interested you in the first place?

The Exploratory Academy is geared toward introducing women and youth to welding through classes and events.

TO: I wanted to build some handrails for one of my clients and [welding] was the one skill I didn’t have under my belt. I had [skills] in carpentry, electrical, painting, and power, but welding was the one skill I didn’t have.

It worked out for me when I walked into that custom fabrication shop, and I was able to have an introduction into welding there. I absolutely loved it. Welding was the one place I actually felt like I was at home.

TW: Can you describe what the Welding Women Syndicate is?

TO: It basically advocated for women in the welding industry, of all walks of life – teachers, artists, rig welders, educators. It gained massive traction. We became globally known after a year. I decided to pivot this past year and we acquired the keys to a 5,000-sq.-ft. building, and I decided to make the syndicate into not only the headquarters but into a new chapter called The Exploratory Academy.

It originally started as an online platform. We posted to celebrate and give visibility to women in the industry. [The posts] would talk about those taboo subjects—like fair pay, visibility, and the horror stories—or celebrate the good. It's not all bad. The syndicate started to gain visibility and make it a more normal conversation among our peers. We're still definitely the underdogs in the industry.

I was doing that while teaching. The whole point was to create my own space and create my own teaching [curriculum] away from big facilities that weren’t necessarily geared toward women, even if they advocated for them.

Some of the organizations I’ve seen, they definitely like to meet their status quo for having women, but they don’t necessarily know how to handle them while they’re there.

TW: This spring, you opened your facility in Salinas. How does the new shop expand opportunities for you and your mission?

TO: I have three signature events, as I like to call them. There is the “Mommy and Me” welding art class.

I have The Exploratory Academy introductory workshop, which is the signature class for introductory welding. We’ll introduce stick, TIG, and MIG welding processes. It’s an eight-hour class.

Tiffany Noel Orff, founder and host of Welding Women Syndicate and The Exploratory Academy, hopes her initiatives bring visibility to women in welding.

And then I also have “Welding then Wine,” which is a girls’ night. These are real fun ways to get introduced to welding because there aren’t many classes or workshops to bridge the gap from introduction to the welding industry, unless you go into a full-fledged program.

I know a lot of teachers that I’ve talked to are worried about retention. They know you come in and invest in a $20,000 program that you may not want to stay in. That’s where our programs fit in—programs that provide a gentler introduction and guidance.

I'm not trying to take away from the schools, but a lot of people don’t want to go to a college atmosphere. If they want further welding education, I can guide them to local programs.

TW: What would you say are the main barriers for women in welding or women wanting to enter the welding world?

TO: Visibility. There is not enough visibility when it comes to diverse spaces. We see all day every day predominantly white faces with long hair and blue eyes. But you don’t see women of color, you don’t see women of different races.

Fair pay. I think almost 80% of the women I've talked to say they’re not getting paid comparably. You can go in and have a conversation with one of your male peers and find out you’re making 25% less. You're doing the same work – why aren’t you getting paid the same?

TW: How has social media helped with these conversations?

TO: Just being a woman in the industry, people are curious. When you bring in another woman, those people follow them. Industry people begin to follow you. If you take your job seriously, they want to align themselves up with you.

I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of cool people; I have mentors who are industry leaders right now. I love the fact that they basically saw me on Instagram. They believed in me, they supported the initiative. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity unless social media was involved.

TW: Do you have other projects in the works?

TO: Because this is also a hot rod restoration and mechanic shop, I have a ‘62 Corvair Station Wagon that I would like to allow certain participants to get hands-on experience by helping with chopping, the suspension, or doing rust repair. That is something I would like to do down the road.

Orff welds horseshoe art for a “Welding then Wine” event hosted at The Exploratory Academy.