ECC Welding Program Prepares for Major Expansion at New Manufacturing & Technology Center

Thomas Limberis has taught welding at Elgin Community College (ECC) full-time for five years, but his connection to the college began earlier as a student pursuing the same trade. 

“Dave Reich (professor of welding) and Mark Hucek (associate professor of welding) were instrumental in my ability to learn and really changed who I am today,” Limberis said.

After graduating from ECC, Limberis returned to teach part-time while working full-time as a welder in the aerospace industry.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was laid off from his welding position. When a full-time teaching opportunity opened at ECC, he applied and has been in the role ever since. Today, he serves as both a full-time teaching instructor and the welding coordinator. 

“When I first started teaching here, I knew exactly the situation that a lot of the students were in,” Limberis said. “I think it's helpful to close that gap with the students, try to walk in their shoes, and it helps build a better relationship with the students.”

For the past few years, Limberis has taught Welding 101 alongside Reich, who teaches the Gas Metal Arc Welding Qualification (GMAW) course, sharing lab space in Building O. That will soon change with the opening of  ECC’s new Manufacturing and Technology Center (MTC), where expanded facilities will provide more space for instruction and hands-on learning aligned with industry needs. 

“This new building is going to be amazing for us,” Limberis said.

The new facility will introduce enhanced instructional technology. There will be a total of five demonstration areas, which will be livestreamed, allowing entire classes to view techniques in real time and in great detail. 

Limberis is also looking forward to showing students how to program robots with new equipment. They also hope to implement a possible robotic welding programming class in the future, depending on industry needs, he said. 

“I think this new learning space is going to do everything we’ve ever wanted to do,” he said. 

For more information on the ECC’s welding program, visit elgin.edu/areas-of-study/welding.