Luke Hearn - Experienced beyond his years

Luke Hearn began his welding career as an apprentice studying under the guidance of David Bage, who himself went on to work for TWI. Having completed his three-year apprenticeship and earned his NVQ Level 3 in Welding Pipework, Luke spent some time working as a welder before deciding to go travelling to Australia.

It was while he was in Australia that Luke bumped into an old acquaintance, who told him that there was plenty of work available in Perth. Luke was soon working in a large fabrication facility where he was able to use his existing skills and experience. However, not one to rest on his laurels, Luke continued to build his knowledge through a series of self-sponsored training courses, including his CSWIP Welding Inspection course. With the knowledge gained through the CSWIP inspection program and experience gained through the time spent at the fabrication facility as a QC Inspector Luke was able to get a job on a multi-billion-dollar LNG project. Luke also worked over in Italy, this time in the subsea sector, where he was able to gain even more experience.

It was upon his return to the UK that Luke decided to undertake yet more training to help himself stand out from among his peers. As before, Luke took the self-sponsored route for his training, explaining that he believes courses make a real difference to his earning potential in what is a “very competitive market.” This training saw Luke enrol with TWI to undertake the International Welding Specialist Diploma, where he was reunited with his former apprenticeship leader, David Bage, who is now a section manager in TWI Training.

It is clear that Luke is driven in his career as he has worked at a number of large-scale projects across a variety of industries, including oil and gas. While he hopes to extend his experience to working in nuclear, Luke also plans to complete a distance learning degree in NDT, which will help him push on towards Technologist level, before he takes a bachelor's degree to become a Welding Engineer.

Noting that TWI's new facility in Cambridge is "brilliant," Luke was keen to stress that one of the appeals of TWI training is that the "qualifications are globally recognised."

As for the future, you can expect to see Luke back in the field soon, as he revealed he "loves being on site" and, as such, may soon be tempted to once-again head overseas to test his skills and knowledge on another large-scale project.