Welding Certification test Q&A and tips and tricks
gnabgib
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Revocide wrote:Hi guys

After some pestering of some local tafe people I have been assured that I cannot simply do the required courses to attain a qualification/level of competency.
Not so in my case and I have the certification to show for it.
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I know that as long as you have a reasonable amount of experience in the trade, you are apples.

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VincenzioVonHook
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Revocide wrote:Hi guys

After some pestering of some local tafe people I have been assured that I cannot simply do the required courses to attain a qualification/level of competency. To prevent people taking a short cut to a trade level qualification.

Well if the local tafe can't help me out I shall do some digging around and find out someone who can get my skills all polished up.

Thanks for the input guys
That sounds like a load to me. I never worked in the welding industry an I enrolled straight into the basic welding practical. if you look at the page on skillstech there is no entry requirements. When I finished the Basic Welding prac and theory I enrolled straight into the Welding intermediate (1554.1 GP) and got a job at a trailer fab/sheetmetal company straight after. Im not qualified to fabricate/form, ie i'm no geometry beast but I am now qualified to weld. There is a difference between being a 1st/2nd class welder and a trade qualified fabricator.

Most boilermakers or sheeties don't actually do coded welding in their cert 3 training. Most of my mates are boilermakers/sheeties/fab's through a trade and most of them only did their basic MIG/TIG/Stick/OXy that is covered in the basic welding course or Welding intermediate at TAFE. They went on to do their certification separately or work funded through a private training institutes.
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I think the response was regarding the as1796 welder qualifications, or "tickets" commonly issued by the WTIA, but as I have said, you should only need a set amount of hours in the welding/fab industry, nothing astronomical.

Mick
cb400chopper
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I don't know if it's changed much since I did my apprenticeship and some of my mates did there welder quals. but from memory everyone started with Module welding and thermal cutting then you could do mig stick or tig 1,2 and 3 this didn't make you a certified welder but it showed your employer you had some training and could weld under supervision as all that was needed was to be deemed competent. From there once you have the required experience you can then do certification to an AS code

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Revocide
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weldin mike 27 wrote:Are you working in the trade? Or just planning to do this for later on?

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I do some light fabrication as part of my job, mainly using square tube to make framework, trolleys etc. Due my limited facilities I cannot do any bigger jobs than that. With more training and a qual or cert to my name I can look for a better paying job, things are priceeeee here in the sunburnt land.
VincenzioVonHook wrote:
Revocide wrote:Hi guys

After some pestering of some local tafe people I have been assured that I cannot simply do the required courses to attain a qualification/level of competency. To prevent people taking a short cut to a trade level qualification.

Well if the local tafe can't help me out I shall do some digging around and find out someone who can get my skills all polished up.

Thanks for the input guys
That sounds like a load to me. I never worked in the welding industry an I enrolled straight into the basic welding practical. if you look at the page on skillstech there is no entry requirements. When I finished the Basic Welding prac and theory I enrolled straight into the Welding intermediate (1554.1 GP) and got a job at a trailer fab/sheetmetal company straight after. Im not qualified to fabricate/form, ie i'm no geometry beast but I am now qualified to weld. There is a difference between being a 1st/2nd class welder and a trade qualified fabricator.

Most boilermakers or sheeties don't actually do coded welding in their cert 3 training. Most of my mates are boilermakers/sheeties/fab's through a trade and most of them only did their basic MIG/TIG/Stick/OXy that is covered in the basic welding course or Welding intermediate at TAFE. They went on to do their certification separately or work funded through a private training institutes.
I found after some research about the AS/NZS 1554.x standards that you speak of that an organisation called DNA Kingston Training do offer this

http://www.dnakingstontraining.com.au/c ... ering.html

Not sure if they offer this at their branch here in my town. I'll find some place that offers what I need, I need to do this. I like the work, the challenge of honing a skill.
Coldman
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That course looks like $4.5k of general construction tickets like safety induction, work at heights a scissor lifts, fork lift etc maybe alittle introductory welfing but nothing to get you on your way. I wouldn't blow those bucks on a course like that. Cert2 won't get you far.
Flat out like a lizard drinkin'
VincenzioVonHook
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Where are you? Pretty much most TAFE institutes in QLD offer basic, intermediate and advanced welding courses. They are all 3 or so hours a weeks for 10 weeks. They are cheap as well, starting around $500-600. You are being spun a lie from TAFE, I guarantee that. FOr a reference look at TAFE QLD/skillstech website for basic/intermediate welding, for the basic welding there is no prerequisite, and for 1554.1 you only need to finish the basic course.

Private training companies charge a lot more for their welding courses, they normally take longer as well. TAFE is the way to go on this one if you aren't made of money. I have numerous friends that had absolutely no experience welding and we all now have our 1554.1 GP.
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And private companies sometimes piggyback off your work place for machines and materials. Meaning you miss on on the spot training.

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Revocide
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VincenzioVonHook wrote:Where are you?
The mild mild West of Australia or Wait Awhile as some call it. Seems there ain't many training facilities down here SW oz.

So I went to look at the Big City, Perth. Well! There are plenty of facilities willing to take my hard earned moolah.

Two notable mentions:

XLT Training - These guys offer training for these SRC cards or Skills Recognition Certificate. Seems like a good idea the BUT is that just recognizes these cards? Could amount to a pretty plastic card in your wallet and not much else.

The other is

Australian Welding Academy - Sounds legit with a name like that does it not. For $1600 they will train me for 5 days and give me a certificate of Welder Training and attain a coded welder qualification I just need to pass a test for the relevant process and to the AS/NZS 1554.1 standard.

Any one heard of these

Revo
Poland308
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I'm not from Australia but if certification there is like it is here then I have to have an employer sign off on and send in paperwork every 6 months to keep my certs up to date. After that there just paper cards like you said. But. 5 days of intense training were you can focouse on just welding with some good over sight can be well worth the time and money. I'd check references of any short term program. Even if it ment I had to call businesses in the area to see if they recognize the training offered by that specific place.
I have more questions than answers

Josh
VincenzioVonHook
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Revocide wrote:
VincenzioVonHook wrote:Where are you?
The mild mild West of Australia or Wait Awhile as some call it. Seems there ain't many training facilities down here SW oz.

So I went to look at the Big City, Perth. Well! There are plenty of facilities willing to take my hard earned moolah.

Two notable mentions:

XLT Training - These guys offer training for these SRC cards or Skills Recognition Certificate. Seems like a good idea the BUT is that just recognizes these cards? Could amount to a pretty plastic card in your wallet and not much else.

The other is

Australian Welding Academy - Sounds legit with a name like that does it not. For $1600 they will train me for 5 days and give me a certificate of Welder Training and attain a coded welder qualification I just need to pass a test for the relevant process and to the AS/NZS 1554.1 standard.

Any one heard of these

Revo
It does make it hard when you aren't in a major city. I have become accustom to living in Brisbane where there are a few TAFE's that do GP welding courses. I have no info about these institutes you have mentioned, but does the second one offer all processes for the $1600? The TAFE course I completed covers MIG, TIG, SMAW, and teaches you routine oxy welding, brazing and soldering for $550ish.
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