Emma Martin

Emma, what were you up to before coming here?

Before coming to Ready Arc, I was in high school. I graduated in June 2025 and spent the summer working as a flagger for the government in Sussex. I went to high school in Sussex, but I’m originally from Cambridge-Narrows.

 

Why welding?

When I started high school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. A family friend suggested I try welding, he thought I would really enjoy it. So, I took it as a course and, yes, ended up really liking it! I liked the hands-on work and the process, especially after completing a CWB ticket in high school. That experience made me want to pursue welding as a career.

 

What made you choose Ready Arc?

While I was taking welding in high school, my teacher and many other people said “Hey, Ready Arc is a really good school.” Once I learned how quickly the program filled up, I knew I had to apply. I went to my interview and talked to a lot of people who had gone through the program before me, and everyone had good things to say. I also did my co-op at Kings County Mechanical, where I spoke with people who had attended Ready Arc and recommended it. Seeing Steve present at my high school helped too — it gave me a clear picture of what the program was actually about rather than just hearing about it from others.

 

So, how were your six months with us?

At the start, I was pretty nervous (terrified, actually). I had some welding experience, but not a lot, and I was worried I might be behind based on other high school welding class experiences I heard about. I was also a bit unsure of what it would be like if I was the only girl in the class (turned out I wasn’t). Those nerves didn’t last long. Everyone was in the same boat at the beginning, especially during the first week working with hand tools, which really brought the class together…kind of like an icebreaker because we were all struggling with it. Once we started welding, it was interesting to see how different everyone’s experience levels were, and how the instructors catered to that. The Ready Arc instructors are top-tier — Steve, Marius and Jason shared a lot of real-world experiences that helped connect everything we were learning to actual job sites.

 

You made it to graduation day. What’s next?

I’m planning to go to Local 213. I was originally deciding between pipefitters and boilermakers, but after talking with people in the industry and learning more about both paths, I feel confident about my next steps. I’ve had a lot of support along the way, and I’m excited to keep building my career in the trades.