The Welding merit badge was first offered by BSA in 2012. The cover of the MB pamphlet shows a welder, safety gear, and on the bottom right corner, a patch of the BSA Nova Award. That emblem indicates that a merit badge counts for towards an additional award – a BSA STEM Nova or Supernova Award. Specifically, the Welding MB counts towards the Dr. Bernard Harris and Thomas Edison Supernova Awards. You can read their full requirements here.
On April 23 and May 21, 2022, NCAC’s STEM Committee partnered with an Alexandria, VA based organization to offer the Welding Merit Badge class to nearly 200 scouts.
The organization, Building Momentum, offers military training as well as community education thru dynamic programs. Often, their programs involve 
Arduinos, drones, welding, CAD, laser engraving, etc. The NCAC STEM Committee is working with Building Momentum’s Senior Education Associate, Cecily, to map Building Momentum’s incredible capabilities with scouting events.
To kickstart our partnership, Building Momentum held two days of workshops this spring, focused on Welding. Each workshop totaled 3.5 hours. Scouts learned about welding safety, practiced welding, then welded their own nameplates. The event was made possible thanks largely to Ms. Cecily Wynne of BuildMo who took the time to design this welding experience for scouts, as well as other incredible facilitators of Building Momentum, and over a dozen SBSA volunteers who assisted as classroom helpers, registration assistants, and general volunteers.
