American Welding Society Training

Training from professional associations, such as the American Welding Association, ensures professionals retain key skills while gaining new ones.

The American Welding Society (AWS) is the professional association for welders. Offering training, workshops and opportunities for skill enhancement, the AWS advances the welding profession through best practices focused education and networking events.

Features

The AWS offers annual skill development conferences, focusing on industry issues. It also offers seminars and access to internship opportunities. One of the major features is an extensive certification process where welders prove their competency through completion of designated modules.

Benefits

Training from a professional association offers networking and career advancement opportunities, often reflected in higher salaries. Professional associations enable welders to get to know individuals in their career field and learn about job opportunities, share on the job experiences and gain insider knowledge from industry experts.

Future

Instrumental in training future generations of welders, AWS also plays an advocacy role in ensuring the future of the profession is bright and that supply meets demand. According to a 2009 article in "Power Magazine," "As the welder population continues to age, and competition for human resources from other construction sectors continues to grow, we can expect to see a sharp decline in the pool of available welders."

References

• Berkeley Career Center: It's Not Who You Know But Who You Get to Know
• Power: Training the Next Generation of Welders

Resources

• American Welding Society (AWS)