Campus News

Phillips 66 grant helps welding program provide students more opportunities

Felix Belmontez, of Phillips 66, Great Falls College welding shop coordinator Caylee Huber and first-year welding student Jake Krause inspect a new welding machine.

Felix Belmontez, learning and development specialist at Phillips 66, spoke recently with Great Falls College’s welding students as part of their communications class.

He stressed the importance of education in making a complete welder who can do more than lay a good bead.

Phillips 66, which operates three pipelines and a fuel terminal in the area, also provides students with field trips, and Belmontez is an active part of the advisory board who helps the students throughout the year.

He was on campus this week to talk to welding instructor Todd Reser about a $20,000 grant that Phillips 66 provided the college’s welding program to help with equipment such as new welding machines.

Reser said it was a big help as the college heads into the last 8-week block of the school year and money starts to get short.

“It was perfect timing,” Reser told Belmontez.

Belmontez said the grant shows off why he likes working at Phillips 66.

“It is nice to work for a company that wants to give back,” he said. “We give back to the communities.”

Belmontez approached Reser last month about the college’s needs and then pitched the idea of a grant to the company.

On Monday, he was on campus to celebrate with Reser.

The college does weld tests for Phillips 66’s contract welders, and the company benefits from the quality welders graduating from the program.

“If you need something, I’ll help if I can,” Belmontez told Reser on Monday.