Students from 19 schools across Kentucky and southern Indiana met for two days to compete in a welding competition in Louisville.

And they were all young women.

This is the women who rode in this competition and a bunch of schools and all the women relatives, they come together when it comes to it's get more women interested in welding and trying to come into the field.

I dance alone in my sophomore year.

I really like the teacher and I like welding.

It's very hands on and you're able to see what you're working on.

Come together firsthand, and I really enjoy that.

So they have a specific project in every level and one being the the entry side and three being the toughest side.

But every project is is designed for that level, that skill set.

And they do stick welding, They do oxy fuel.

Some of them will do gas stunts and arc welding, and they build a project based on a drawing that have been given to them, and then they get scored on that.

They're looking at appearance at the well look good if they're the right diameter, the right high and then they're looking at the feet of the if it looks like the drawing evokes accurate.

We have a multitude of vendors, businesses, schools and stuff like that that come here to network with these young ladies.

We don't just invite the competitors.

We invite every female student in all of these programs to come out and lunch.

You know, we take care of they get to network, they get to check everything out.

And it's it's just a great thing.

Most of these businesses bring their female workers so that the girls get the opportunity to talk to another female in the industry, you know, and maybe ask that question.

They don't want to ask their male instructor to.

You know, I mean, it's it makes them very comfortable and more comfortable.

Because we're all women.

We all go through the same things.

And it's definitely eye opening to see just how many of us one, the world.

It's good to know that women, more women in the world landing, welding than just men.

Every company, every industry need females in the industry, and we're helping them out.

We're getting them noticed.

We're offering them a skill set.

We want we want them to be high quality students.

You hear that all the time now about, you know, we don't want a student loans and everything like that.

This is your opportunity.

Now, one thing I don't like to do is say, Hey, this is the greatest job in the world.

It is the greatest job in the world.

But it's not an easy job.

It takes a special young lady to be a welder.

You're talking about going in what they say was a man's world, and they're kicking butt.

I hope I get more confidence in myself, and it's a great learning experience.

I'm going to learn like it's not always going to be super easy.

There's going to be challenges and hopefully I'll be able to overcome them.

And this is going to help me.

Welding can be a challenge sometimes, but just because there's a challenge and a road somewhere, that doesn't mean that you should quit because it's something that you enjoy, then it's going to get easier down there.

My experience in welding is.

Really good and fun.

Interesting.

I just got certified last Friday, so I'm a certified welder.

That was really good.

Great to see some students learn some awesome skills.

The event is an annual competition and has been running for three years.

This afternoon, contestants heard from Kentucky's lieutenant governor Jacqueline Coleman.