Certified Welding Training
Welders join metal to make permanent connections using metal fillers and special equipment that employs heat or pressure. Welding is used in many fields including oil and gas pipeline construction, nuclear plant maintenance, aerospace, building construction, electronic manufacturing, food industry equipment, and auto manufacturing. Certified welders are specially trained and tested to do certain types of welding work.
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What is Certified Welding?
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Many welders work everyday without certification. In many fields, the welding performed is standard and does not have strict requirements or require strict quality control measures. Some work, however, must be done to strict specification and may require that welders be certified to specific welding codes that engineers use to make sure the pieces are joined properly. Certified welders often work higher level jobs with better pay. Welders can be certified to a specific code requirement, or a number of code requirements.
Benefits of Certification
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Being certified in welding assures employers that your work has been tested and approved to certain required code criteria. This allows the employer to acquire more jobs that need that kind of certification. Employers are willing to offer higher wages to welders who are already certified, because they will not have to arrange and pay for the certification themselves.
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How To Get Certified
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Welding certification is done under the auspices of the American Welding Society (AWS). The AWS is the premier organization for the advancement of the science, technology and application of modern welding in industry. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, this organization publishes welding codes and offers training and certification for welders and welding inspectors. The AWS requires that certification be acquired only through accredited schools. Employers can arrange for certification to be done on-site through accredited institutions. Formal training is not required for certification, but experience in doing the fit-up, assembly, and position is mandated. A certificate is issued recognizing the welder's ability to do the kind of welding tested.
Institutions That Do Certification
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The AWS offers seminars and training to certify welders and welding inspectors. The Hobart Institute for Welding Technology is another organization that certifies welders to various codes. The Anne Arundel Community College also offers a certified welding training program. The AWS has a list of approved schools that offer certification.
Employment for Certified Welders
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that welders earn between $14 to $26 dollars per hour, with the highest wages going to welders with proven experience and certification in highly-desired welding fields. Wages vary from state to state, with Alaska and Hawaii paying the highest wages.
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References
- Photo Credit welder at work image by Sergejs Kostjucenko from Fotolia.com
