Matawan Man Works As Underwater Welder Thanks To Brookdale's Free Program

MATAWAN, NJ — Justin Dapolito was working as an auto mechanic in Maine, but when he moved back to his hometown of Matawan after Sandy hit, he had a hard time finding a job.

"I'd been a mechanic for Audi and Mercedes in Maine, but when I got back down to New Jersey, I couldn't find work," said Dapolito, 38. "I was working different small jobs, but I was basically unemployed."

So he decided to apply for a unique program at Brookdale Community College: A free training course to become a certified professional welder. Accepted students pay no tuition or fees. Upon completion, the Monmouth County community college connects those who successfully graduate with area employers.

"My friend mentioned this welding program for people who were unemployed and needed to learn a new skill," said Dapolito. "I contacted Brookdale right away."

Brookdale has offered the free welding program for the past two years and has seen about 80 students graduate from it, all of whom are now working. The program is funded by state and federal grants.

"We chose welding as a trade because there is a lot of demand for that type of skill set in this area of Monmouth and Ocean counties," explained James McCarthy, Brookdale’s Business Training Manager. "Welding work can be done in pipe fitting and other union jobs, and in the construction of emergency vehicles and recycling machinery. We looked at the local economy around here, and there are really a lot of small businesses that need these types of workers."

First, applicants had to take a written proficiency test.

"You had to show you had a light engineering and mechanical background; the questions were like, 'Which gear does this and how?' You needed a mechanical background to figure that stuff out," Dapolito said.

From there, Brookdale interviewed candidates and 15 students total were accepted into the class.

"I was in Jim Mansfield's welding class, the first class Brookdale offered. It was 150 hours of welding instruction and Brookdale supplied all the equipment and welding gear," he said. The students worked out of the welding shop at the Matawan-Aberdeen vocational school. After the 150 hours were completed, local companies came in and interviewed students.

"Mickey Truck Bodies out of Freehold came in, and so did PL Custom, a company that manufactures custom emergency vehicles in Manasquan," he said. "That's how most of the kids got hired."

Dapolito has an interesting side hobby: He loves to dive on sunken shipwrecks off the Jersey Coast. Knowing this, Mansfield put him in touch with Tom Junay, the owner T&J Marine in Atlantic Highlands, which specializes in underwater mechanical repair work.

"They needed people for underwater work, such as on sewage pipelines and underwater dredging equipment," he said.

His new welding skills made him a perfect fit for the work. Dapolito got certified as a commercial diver and now spends most of his days where he's happiest: About 60 feet under the Atlantic Ocean off the New Jersey coast and in New York harbor.

"You're down there and you're trying to get something to work and it's pitch black and freezing cold. There are sharks, too — basking sharks, mako sharks. But when you're working, you're concentrating and not really looking around at the wildlife," he said. "You can really make a very good living."

Dapolito said the Brookdale welding program cost him nothing and he now has a full-time job and a skill he can take anywhere.

"They told us when we started there would be a jump in welding and manufacturing jobs in this country. Everyone from the original class I was in got hired somewhere. There are jobs out there left and right that need welders and it's a skill you can apply to a lot of different things," he said. "I'm very grateful for this program. I was unemployed and I walked out of there with a job and a skill I can take forever. Everyone deserves an opportunity to get work like this."

Ocean County Community College also offers the free welding program.