Forging a lasting career as a welder

Welding is a trade where you use heat and fusion to cut and form metals to form an item.

The industry is huge. There are many different types of welding.

You can take a piece of steel and turn it into something useful.

The world’s constructions would fall apart without welding.

You can be a welder then move on to be a supervisor and then an instructor as well as branching out into sales if you like.

More than that, there are many types of environment in which you can put your skills to the test.

In a factory, welders use robots to perform simple welding tasks.

Higher-skilled welders can end up working anywhere: from joining steel beams on skyscrapers to working on racing car teams to performing complicated welding tasks on space stations.

To be an assembly line welder, you don’t need much in the form of qualifications and will be taught on the job.

Often these start out as apprenticeship roles within a company working up to a full time qualified position.

Or you may want to study at college before securing a role as a welder within a company.

Assembly line welders must be patient and conscious of safety hazards.

They should be able to focus their attention on one repetitive task for long periods of time.

The vast majority of welders are men on full-time contracts, though these contracts will often be defined by a particular job.

The UK skilled trades industry is in decline, with fewer people being employed in it year-byyear, but the skills of a welder are still required for all sorts of projects all over the world.

Depending on your level of training and experience, you would be classed as a semiskilled or skilled welder.

Normally, you have to pass competency tests for the type of welding work you carry out.

These tests show that your work meets British and European welding standards and you need them for official recognition.

The Welding Institute has a range of training schemes for welding methods, as well as inspection and testing qualifications.

They also have information about the industries in which welding skills play a key role.

Starting salaries can be between £16,000 and £18,000 a year.

W ith experience, this can rise to between £20,000 and £33,000.

The best, most experienced specialist welders can earn up to £40,000 a year.