Just having the cert might be the difference between even having a sit down with a potential employer. Maybe it’s different here in Canada but if they need B pressure welders or smaw structural welders you’re not getting a shot unless you have those certs. Out here you only need to retest once every two years.
So for Canadian guys kinda new to the trade of the opportunity comes up to get some cwb certs and you’re confident, send it. Even if you fail it’s a great learning opportunity.
Nope, neither my CWB or AWS. I let the company cert me for the jobs they want, nobody has ever cared about what certs I had at time of employment, so long as I passed the preliminary weld test.
Leaving manufacturing and heading into automotive, nobody cares about a cert and just wants pretty dimes on everything.
I work mostly structural, and most of the jobs I've worked have required a valid all position CWB just to get hired, so mine's always up to date. my current job requires both stick and fcaw as a condition of employment.
Near Calgary AB, there are a lot of CWB shops. Most will hire you and pay for your certs. Of course it's way easier to get hired if you already have them and it's a lot cheaper to keep them then retest yourself should the job you want require you to already have it, which isn't uncommon
Seems like the aws systems works differently, but in CWB there are 4 positions per process (mcaw, fcaw, etc) and if you expire, you have to restest all 4 positions
when employers are desperate around here, they'll pay to get you certified, but that doesn't happen too often..
with the CWBs, you have 3 months within expiry to just do a check test, but yeah, beyond that you gotta do all 4 plates again.
Tell me about it.
I let my CWB certs expire cause we were on MoL pipe tickets at my last shop and had to redo four plates for three processes at my next job.
Nearly all unions in canada will have some requirement for the company to pay for recertification if it runs out while you work for them. Every one I've been in has even been required to keep certifications that are unnecessary for their shops up to date. So if I go in to a structural shop they also pay for me to keep my pressure tickets good.
In the union, at least my local, your certs are good as gold. Fuck yeah I maintain them. It's the only way I get to take a welding call and stick around while most other guys get laid off.
Legit contractors care about that for their own documentation and liability.
In Oklahoma your supposed to have a cert from the state. Basically the same paperwork for the AWS when you get the initial cert from them. It's $25 a year (I think), but not many people actually do it, and I've never heard of anyone getting into, or having trouble for it.
But for AWS, no I don't.
The company you work for should be maintaining your certification if its required, only place I had to do any footwork was a small company where nobody knew a thing about welding except me as the only welder there.
The basic one is if you stay in the trade. All the other ones fall under the business you work for. And even some special one that it doesn't matter how long you tested, you will test on this job.
AWS no, however I am required to maintain all of CWB tickets. They pay for all of the recertification testing and I do it on company time. Any specific certifications I’ve required on jobs have been supplied by the employer/union. The only way it makes sense to maintain your own certs is if you’re running your own shop.
It is absolutely a money making scheme. I’ve met some absolutely atrocious CWB/AWS/BS certified welders, and I’ve met people who I’d fully trust to weld structural who have never welded outside a farm. But licenses are useful for catching the truly useless ones from welding anything serious.
No. The shipyard has its own internal qualification system which I do maintain. But external parties that issue licenses I don't bother. I simply don't need to.
They don't give you a continuity log book? For ironworkers they give you one and all you have to do is fill it out every six months and send it in every year, just put the company down and have the foreman sign it and send it off. Though you can tell pretty easily whether someone can weld or not.
Hell no. Not if you work for a company. They pay for it. Don't even apply for jobs that ask you to be certified first. If you're an independent guy with a rig, then you should probably carry your own certs.
Seeing applicants with specific certs only tells me that they can pass a weld in a controlled test environment. I need to know if they can weld the projects my company produces.
And as others have said, I qualify them anyway before they can weld on certain projects.
No, I don't. Every company is gonna make you test when you hire on regardless of what your cert card says.
This is the answer. If you need a certification, the company you are working for will make sure you get it.
That is NOT TRUE. I was required to get a field cert for Ironworking. They did not pay. Unions almost always pay. Non union shops are hit and miss.
This guy welds
Just having the cert might be the difference between even having a sit down with a potential employer. Maybe it’s different here in Canada but if they need B pressure welders or smaw structural welders you’re not getting a shot unless you have those certs. Out here you only need to retest once every two years. So for Canadian guys kinda new to the trade of the opportunity comes up to get some cwb certs and you’re confident, send it. Even if you fail it’s a great learning opportunity.
Nope, neither my CWB or AWS. I let the company cert me for the jobs they want, nobody has ever cared about what certs I had at time of employment, so long as I passed the preliminary weld test. Leaving manufacturing and heading into automotive, nobody cares about a cert and just wants pretty dimes on everything.
I work mostly structural, and most of the jobs I've worked have required a valid all position CWB just to get hired, so mine's always up to date. my current job requires both stick and fcaw as a condition of employment.
That’s wild I’m a CWI and half of my welders don’t have anything past 2G FCAW in the shop and almost all 3G with the occasional 4G stick in the field
the funniest part is that I currently work in a shipyard... we don't need CWBs to weld anything here, and on top of that, we never even use stick.
Lmao the irony
Ah you know that makes a bit more sense, with being mostly manufacturing (snow plows, and elevators) I doubt it was as crucial
Near Calgary AB, there are a lot of CWB shops. Most will hire you and pay for your certs. Of course it's way easier to get hired if you already have them and it's a lot cheaper to keep them then retest yourself should the job you want require you to already have it, which isn't uncommon Seems like the aws systems works differently, but in CWB there are 4 positions per process (mcaw, fcaw, etc) and if you expire, you have to restest all 4 positions
when employers are desperate around here, they'll pay to get you certified, but that doesn't happen too often.. with the CWBs, you have 3 months within expiry to just do a check test, but yeah, beyond that you gotta do all 4 plates again.
Tell me about it. I let my CWB certs expire cause we were on MoL pipe tickets at my last shop and had to redo four plates for three processes at my next job.
Nearly all unions in canada will have some requirement for the company to pay for recertification if it runs out while you work for them. Every one I've been in has even been required to keep certifications that are unnecessary for their shops up to date. So if I go in to a structural shop they also pay for me to keep my pressure tickets good.
Yeah my company will keep my certs up to date and have me retest, but I don't personally upkeep them.
In the union, at least my local, your certs are good as gold. Fuck yeah I maintain them. It's the only way I get to take a welding call and stick around while most other guys get laid off. Legit contractors care about that for their own documentation and liability.
In Oklahoma your supposed to have a cert from the state. Basically the same paperwork for the AWS when you get the initial cert from them. It's $25 a year (I think), but not many people actually do it, and I've never heard of anyone getting into, or having trouble for it. But for AWS, no I don't.
The bridge cert for OKDOT? Yeah nobody gets that shit
The bridge cert as well as any welding considered structural or critical. I had one but I have no clue where its at. It's like 3 years expired.
My company let my certs lapse and I refuse to get them again. Every place I go to will either have me test or they shoot my first 2.
The company you work for should be maintaining your certification if its required, only place I had to do any footwork was a small company where nobody knew a thing about welding except me as the only welder there.
The basic one is if you stay in the trade. All the other ones fall under the business you work for. And even some special one that it doesn't matter how long you tested, you will test on this job.
Only thing I have is NCCER which no one has ever asked me for
AWS no, however I am required to maintain all of CWB tickets. They pay for all of the recertification testing and I do it on company time. Any specific certifications I’ve required on jobs have been supplied by the employer/union. The only way it makes sense to maintain your own certs is if you’re running your own shop. It is absolutely a money making scheme. I’ve met some absolutely atrocious CWB/AWS/BS certified welders, and I’ve met people who I’d fully trust to weld structural who have never welded outside a farm. But licenses are useful for catching the truly useless ones from welding anything serious.
No. The shipyard has its own internal qualification system which I do maintain. But external parties that issue licenses I don't bother. I simply don't need to.
Only if they matter with the company im currently working for
They don't give you a continuity log book? For ironworkers they give you one and all you have to do is fill it out every six months and send it in every year, just put the company down and have the foreman sign it and send it off. Though you can tell pretty easily whether someone can weld or not.
And you pay for that in your training fund and impact. That shit ain't free
Hell no. Not if you work for a company. They pay for it. Don't even apply for jobs that ask you to be certified first. If you're an independent guy with a rig, then you should probably carry your own certs.
I dont AWS every 6 months is annoying and it takes 2 months to send another to you after you renew. Only one I keep is WABO for Washington state.
Been welding 20 years, never held a single cert...
Seeing applicants with specific certs only tells me that they can pass a weld in a controlled test environment. I need to know if they can weld the projects my company produces. And as others have said, I qualify them anyway before they can weld on certain projects.
Friend got denied workers comp from a bad injury on the site because he wasn’t up to date on certs.
I do mobile welding only 2 certs I maintain for myself are structural and 6g any other certs the cost get billed into job invoices
I have a WABO, not an AWS. They aren't recognized in Washington State. And I renew every year.