Code A Weld Join CSWIP Welding Inspection Course

A group of ‘Code A Weld’ employees, including group general managers Adam Gould and Clive Slocombe, recently undertook CSWIP Welding Inspection training with TWI – including a mixture of eLearning and an on-site examination at our headquarters at Abington near Cambridge.

Code A Weld are specialists in weld testing and certification, providing services including welding procedure and qualification testing, non-destructive testing (NDT) and mechanical testing services to a wide range of industry sectors. Whether working with the nuclear, rail, aerospace, petrochemical, construction and defence industries, or testing individual welders to aid their employment opportunities, there isn’t an industry sector they haven’t supported. With 30 employees in total, Code A Weld are currently involved in laboratory testing for the defence industry as well as undertaking surveillance and NDT at the UK nuclear power facility, Hinckley Point C.

Adam Gould spoke to us to explain his company’s reasons for taking on the training, saying, “We are embarking on an investment programme in our staff and are encouraging all employees to upskill themselves and gain qualifications that may be relevant to them. Ones that will not only benefit Code A Weld but them as individuals. We are doing this across all departments from the new apprentice intake right across to senior management.”

Adam added, “Each and every project we are involved in, we are proud of. Our passion is welding, and we appreciate that no matter how big or small the company/organisation is that we are working with, to them, our services are vital. We use our knowledge experience and accreditations to ensure that our work is of the highest achievable standards, enabling our customers to meet all regulatory and insurance requirements as well as their own company-specific standards. Which ultimately means what matters most – complete peace of mind for them and us and happy, returning customers.”

The welding inspection training at TWI helps Code A Weld meet these aims and they decided to take the eLearning version of the course. While safety is of paramount importance to everyone at this time, Adam explained that it was the flexibility of the online course offering that was of real benefit to himself and his colleagues, “The online availability enabled key members of staff to attend the course but to not have to be removed from their the day to day roles. Having the e-learning available for a 60 day period also gave our team scope to all learn at their own speed and in their own way.”

However, this did not mean that the trainees were left without any support, as TWI lecturer Darren Jefferies was on-hand to answer queries via email, with Adam noting, “The answers were delivered in a language suited to those asking the questions and was a huge help.”

Darren was also there when the Code A Weld team visited Abington, ensuring that the visitors felt comfortable and welcome, while also providing some extra knowledge to the trainees. As Adam explained, “I have attended many courses, presentations and talks, and Darren’s teaching/presentation technique is up there with the very best of them. His knowledge is extremely high, but he didn’t use the time to try to tell us how much he knew, he delivered the information in a clear, concise and easy to understand way.”

Adam continued, “Darren didn’t over complicate things. He was committed to us understanding the subject matter and made it clear from the start that he was available for as long as we needed him. I cannot speak highly enough of him and it is great to have made a connection with him,” adding, “Since the course, we have stayed connected and have bounced ideas and interpretations off of each other.”

Of course, at this time TWI, like many other businesses, have had to implement measures to maintain a safe environment during the COVID 19 pandemic. These measures included maintain social distancing by separating tables and operating a one-way system in the corridors and building. Describing them as “non-intrusive,” Adam said that, “It was so well organised it really didn’t even register that measures were in place and did not affect the course whatsoever.”

As for the course itself, Adam and his fellow group general manager Clive Slocombe, decided to take the training first before rolling it out to other staff members. This allowed them to assess the course and TWI ahead of committing to further training for their fellow employees, as Adam revealed, “It has given us the confidence to know that TWI is the place where we want to send all of our team.”

He continued, “We wanted to experience what it was like first hand and we were not disappointed. It really was a great experience from start to finish, we actually both really enjoyed it! We now know that when members of our team now sign up for a course, they will be cared for in the very best way imaginable.”

While also noting that the course booking process was “simple, clear and concise,” with “no issues at all,” Adam said that, “The support and communication from enquiry-booking-sign up-exam-results was excellent.”

The outcome of the training is clear, since Code A Weld have “booked more members of our team onto courses at TWI since our attendance and will continue to do so.”

TWI Training is proud to continue delivering a high standard of training to help companies such as Code A Weld as they push towards their stated goals of “continued consistency, continued honesty, continued hard work and continued success,” and we wish them all the best with continuing to meet those targets.