TWI's welder qualification tests are witnessed by CSWIP approved welding examiners and conducted in line with recognised international standards.Qualification standards in the global construction and manufacturing sectors are EN 9606/287, ASME IX and BS 4872 parts 1 and 2 in the UK.

The internationally recognised qualification standard for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is BCAR-A8-10, which is also the requirement for welding in the aerospace sector.

Your qualification acts as a proof of competency and confirms that you have been able to demonstrate a level of skill against existing recognised standards for present company manufacturing requirements.

Your welder qualification test can be completed against your company's qualified weld procedures or, if you are a private paying individual, the welder qualification test can be in line with TWI's own qualified weld procedures.

We can provide assistance to identify test standard, determine the range of qualification, witness welder qualification tests and supply completed documentation packages for qualified weld procedures.

All NDT and mechanical testing requirements are completed at TWI, Cambridge by The Test House.

Wherever your training takes place, our product simulated workmanship exercises ensure that your training is relevant to real-life situations, with the materials used during the course (and in qualifying) including carbon steel, aluminium, stainless steel and titanium.

Many factors need to be considered regarding the course duration as individuals all learn at a different rate and some of the welding processes are more difficult than others. However, as a general rule, we recommend a minimum practical training of one week per welding process to gain a fundamental basic understanding of each.

This will vary depending on the qualification obtained. Some qualifications need to be reviewed every year as is the case of BCAR A8-10 (CAA) whilst BS EN ISO 9606/287 is generally reviewed every two or three years.

If the qualification test is completed by your employees against your existing weld procedure(s), the qualification is the property of the company. If the employee ceases employmnet with your company to join another, the qualification is not transferrable to his new employer.

A practical welding assessment is particularly useful when you need to determine your present skill level. You or the company who employs you may be required to qualify to a higher standard than you presently possess.

The assessment will allow us to gauge how much training you will need to achieve the standard you may require. This also gives you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with our workshop training facilities and discuss your requirements in detail with one of our instructors.

You will be required to bring your own safety footwear and boiler suit, but TWI can provide welding gloves, headshields, safety glasses and so forth (although you can of course bring your own if you prefer).

You do not need to provide an eyesight certificate but if you wear glasses for reading you will need to bring these for welding. We also recommend that you wear a round neck dark cotton tee shirt under your boiler suit for all welding activities.