Welding for all
At insPYRE, we are the institute of fire, a beacon of transformation and empowerment, dedicated to teaching real-world welding skills.
336,000
welders needed by 2026
81%
of manufacturers can’t find enough welders
$44,190
annual average welder wage
Our story
insPYRE is a new nonprofit school for welding and metalwork in Knoxville, teaching marginalized and at-risk individuals about transformation through metalwork and empowering them with real life skills.
Students who complete insPYRE’s 15-week program will be prepared for a job as a welder in an industry that currently holds 300,000 unfilled welding jobs across the U.S.
There is no ‘typical’ student: we welcome everyone, from young adults ageing out of foster programs to women who have been abused and sheltered to recovering alcoholics, addicts, and also the formerly incarcerated.
Our premise is simple: in metalwork, nothing is irreconcilable. You can make mistakes and you can find solutions.
We believe that, regardless of the past, our lives are enriched by the stories that we live, and healing occurs when we, as a community, hold space for the underserved to tell their own stories and to begin their respective transformations.
Upcoming courses
Forging Fireplace Tools
Develop blacksmithing skills as you forge your own fire poker and shovel
Grow a Metal Flower
Plasma cut and MIG weld a flower sculpture for your garden!
Make a Hanging Mobile
Find balance as you weld your own Calder-style metal mobile!
MIG Welding 101
An introductory course to begin your journey into the metal shop.
Trophy Build
Create a custom metal trophy to celebrate a deserving person or occasion.
Welding Your Way: Guided Shop Time
Individualized metalworking and welding experience to bring your vision to life.
Love us? Help us.
When you partner with insPYRE, you are changing the world. Your gift will help educate and empower real people in the local community to pick up new skills in welding and metalworking. insPYRE is about changing the shape of things; it is about transformation.
Every donation, large or small, sets up an ethic of success.
insPYRE change.
