The Welding Institute

The Welding Institute is a composite body embracing a professional institution, a learned society, a certification body, a training organisation and a major research and technology centre (TWI).

The Professional Division is responsible for professional membership, certification of personnel worldwide and learned society activities. The Training Centre offers worldwide training activities in welding and joining technology and non-destructive testing.

Welding and joining are key safety-critical industrial activities in manufacture, construction and maintenance and the roles of welding engineers and technicians are important in ensuring the safe operation of a wide range of products from nuclear plant to motor vehicles. The membership classes of the Institute provide the essential demonstration of competence for those employed in those roles.

The Institute is a Licensed Member of the Engineering Council (UK) and submits appropriately qualified candidates for CEng, IEng and EngTech registration. Its membership grades run from Fellow to Graduate to offer membership appropriate to a candidate's level of knowledge and experience. In addition the Institute runs the Welding and Joining Society, which is an open society to all those with an interest in welding and materials joining. This can often open the door to those aspiring to Professional Membership and EC (UK) registration.

A recent new activity is the Institute of Rail Welding. This was created in partnership with Network Rail in order to provide a focus for all rail welding activities in the UK.

For the recognition of specialist competencies through the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, the Institute offers a certification scheme for welding and NDT personnel called the Certification Scheme for Welding and Inspection Personnel.

The Institute also works in partnership with standard setting bodies in the development of occupational standards and association vocational qualifications for a wide range of welding and related occupations.

The Research and Technology Group (TWI Ltd), the operating arm of The Welding Institute, is one of the world's foremost independent research and technology organisations. It has an extensive research centre and is involved in all aspects of joining technology from heavy engineering to microelectronics. TWI provides industry with engineering solutions in structures incorporating welding and associated technologies (surfacing, coating, cutting, etc) through information, advice and technology transfer; consultancy and project support and contract R & D. TWI is the only single source of expertise in every aspect of joining technology for engineering materials - metals, plastics, ceramics and composites.

Copyright © 2003, The Welding Institute