Although our business is to buy and sell welding equipment, we realise the importance of promoting this much needed skill in British metal manufacturing.
The current Government is to be congratulated for sharing this vision and continuing the investment in education and the funding of both Skills Centres and the new Studio Schools. We all recognise that vocational skills are back on the educational agenda and this certainly helps our cause, however there are many other routes also to get your qualifications as a Welder.
The welding process is vital to this country. It helps to take dissimilar materials and join them together. The chair you are sitting on, the car you drive, this building, bridges, bikes, nuclear power stations, you name it and welding plays an active part in keeping it all together.
During the past 30 years the process has come under attack and scrutiny from competitive methods of joining, advances in manufacturing technology and design, lack of available expertise and of course our friends at Health and Safety.
But despite all of this the welding process continues to thrive and develop. It now stands as a sought after and rewarding profession and indeed one which a West Midlands company has recently paid a welder £100,000 per annum for his skill, which in itself highlights, the acute shortage of trained welders, our industry now suffers from.
It is important to note that the UK Office for National Statistics can provide data showing a decline of registered welders from 74,000 - 5 years ago to 56,000 today.
With the up and coming energy boom expected to make the UK self sufficient in energy once again from 2020, this project alone will require some 20,000 trained welders
So how do you decide if this is the right job for you?
If you start to look around your bedroom, office, park or along the road side you will see many, many objects that are created by joining metals together. Artists and sculptors often make a good career out of welding.
Look at a desk for instance, the legs and uprights need to be joined together to create a super strong bond of the two metals.
Examine the goal posts the next time you play football. Metal can be bent to various shapes but to join two together you need some form of heat and filler to make this a strong structure capable to do what is was designed for.
Even bikes, cars and buses are welded somewhere. Look carefully at the handlebars and crossbar of a bike, can you see the join? This is more difficult in a car as it is mainly hidden from view, but car welding is now probably a full automated welding process using a robot along the production line.
Can you think of other objects that we use every day that could be welded? Are you creative? Would you like to see sparks fly?
This basic welding process we all can see around us. However there are many methods of welding that do not even show a blemish in the finished product. These are highly complex and are often used in the nuclear, aerospace or petro-chemical industries that require high quality and almost scientific welding processes. If you are a school leaver or younger person looking for an apprenticeship or training programme, we are going to try and provide all the information to see if this is the career path you would like to follow. We will also give you an idea of the many different industries that you could be working in.
The great news is that Welders are needed all around the world and especially more so now with the development of environmental engineering. So not only could you get the chance to travel and work abroad but the welding jobs in all of the major industrial sectors from ship building to offshore pipe welding are in abundance and the belief today is that there needs to be a huge investment in trainees in all areas of manufacturing engineers.
Part time and Full time courses are available from most higher education colleges and although basic maths and English qualifications may be asked for, we all know that if you are a practical minded person, creative and hard working there are loads of jobs that can be done without a degree! The pay seems pretty decent too and if you do further training courses and skills to add to your CV you will be in demand for many high spec jobs that are advertised on the internet today.
Can you think of other objects that we use every day that could be welded? Are you creative? Would you like to see sparks fly?
This basic welding process we all can see around us. However there are many methods of welding that do not even show a blemish in the finished product. These are highly complex and are often used in the nuclear, aerospace or petro-chemical industries that require high quality and almost scientific welding processes.
If you are a school leaver or younger person looking for an apprenticeship or training programme, we are going to try and provide all the information to see if this is the career path you would like to follow. We will also give you an idea of the many different industries that you could be working in.
The great news is that Welders are needed all around the world and especially more so now with the development of environmental engineering. So not only could you get the chance to travel and work abroad but the welding jobs in all of the major industrial sectors from ship building to offshore pipe welding are in abundance and the belief today is that there needs to be a huge investment in trainees in all areas of manufacturing engineers.
Part time and Full time courses are available from most higher education colleges and although basic maths and English qualifications may be asked for, we all know that if you are a practical minded person, creative and hard working there are loads of jobs that can be done without a degree!
The pay seems pretty decent too and if you do further training courses and skills to add to your CV you will be in demand for many high spec jobs that are advertised today.
Now it may be that you are a qualified welder and looking for a new direction, company or country to work in.
Ever wondered how electron beam welding works and what it makes?
Do you like the thought of underwater welding on pipes and underground structures?
Looking to get more into your hobby of say motorsport?
You will have masses more experience than us of using welding equipment and the various applications however we hope to help you here with general discussions and the latest technology with the metal and joining world and include links to courses and recruitment to help you develop your skills further and reach that salary you deserve! Please share all your welding and fabrication successes so we can encourange youngsters into the professional. Contact us with photos of your projects.
