Mohamad Zammer: Career-Based Training

Having always been interested in science with a talent for maths and physics, he decided to continue his studies in this field, graduating from university with a degree in Physics.

However, after graduation Mohamad found it challenging to get a job related to his area of study. While he started his career as a logistics executive, his friends introduced him to the oil and gas industry and he didn't hesitate to take a career shift. He started from the bottom as a QC inspector for a plant shut down which gave him an insight into welding inspection and NDT and the standard industrial codes. Although he was lucky to have his friend as a mentor who supported him and taught him the basics, Mohamad knew that he would need qualifications to go further.

"I knew that if I want to upgrade myself in the oil and gas industry, I needed to be certified," Mohamad explained.

His first certificates were in PCN Welding Inspector and Radiographic Interpretation. However, Mohamad's employers didn't approve of his certificates and he found it a challenge to get involved with different projects. He revealed, "Even though I had a Welding Inspection certificate (under PCN); it wasn't satisfactory enough for the employers and I was still being asked for CSWIP 3.1. But, once I managed to get certified under CSWIP scheme, landing on jobs became a lot smoother."

Mohamad, who is completing a Radiographic interpretation course at TWI Malaysia, said that the course is very helpful and the lecturer, Hazwan, is very experienced and great at explaining the principles and fundamentals of radiography techniques.

Mohamad now plans to upgrade his certificate to CSWIP 3.2.2 Senior Welding Inspector with RI, as he explained, "The world is moving forward and each year there are many newcomers into the industry. As I gain more experience, I need to upgrade myself to be able to position myself at a better place as a third-party inspector."

He believes that the job market for inspection is huge and there are a lot of opportunities to get hired on inspection positions. However, having supplementary skills such as knowledge of coating or NDT to pair with welding inspection can dramatically improve your chances of landing on a good job with decent pay.

As Mohamad's story shows, not having a reputable certificate can be a challenge to penetrating the job market. However, if you are determined to learn and grow, institutes like TWI can help you overcome this hurdle.

To learn more about Radiographic Interpretation training at TWI visit our website.