Fabrication & Welding Apprenticeship

Standard Title

General Welder (arc processes) Level 2

Brief Description

Welding is a way to make high strength joints between two or more parts. General Welders use high electrical energy to form an arc. Manual dexterity is essential in controlling the arc, which is used to melt metals, allowing them to fuse together to form a structurally sound weld.

Welding is used extensively and in almost every sector of industry. There is a high demand for skilled General Welders in areas such as: automotive, marine, transport, general fabrication, construction and many more. General Welders produce items like components for cars; ships; rail vehicles; simple metallic containers; and steelwork for bridges, buildings and gantries. Welding is a safety critical occupation, and every welder takes responsibility for the quality and accuracy of their work. General Welders are required to produce joints that satisfy basic quality standards in order to ensure that the finished products function correctly, contributing to the safety of all and the global quality of life.

Skilled, qualified, professionally certified General Welders can work anywhere in the world and provide services in harshest of environments. For these accomplished professionals, the monetary rewards can be significant

What will you learn

Be aware of the basic mechanical properties and weldability of welded materials.

Understand the common arc welding processes, joint types (fillet, lap, butt, etc.) and positions.

Understand the major components of welding equipment and the essential parameters for welding.

Understand the terminology, operation and controls for the selected arc welding processes, joint types and welding positions.

Identify and understand the causes of typical welding defects and how their occurrence can be reduced, for the materials and welding processes selected.

Understand the functions of welding consumables and the requirements for correct storage and handling.

Be able to identify and select correct welding consumables for each application.

Understand and identify hazards and basic health, safety and quality requirements when welding.

Know how to interpret and work to a welding procedure specification.

Know the basics of welding quality documents and reporting systems.

The training will include

Face to face workshops together with online learning

1:1 support from a Tutor who will visit your workplace

Progress reviews to be completed with your Tutor and line manager

Development of a work-based portfolio to evidence learning

End-point assessment (EPA)

Functional Skills English and/or maths Level 1 and/or Level 2, if required

Entry Requirements

There are no formal entry requirements.

In order to complete the apprenticeship, you will need English and maths at Level 1 (equivalent to GCSE grade 2-3) and attempt English and/or maths Level 2, but if you don’t have these qualifications don’t let this stop you from undertaking the apprenticeship as we can help you gain the Level 1 requirement and support you in working towards Level 2 during your studies.

Duration

18 months plus 3 months EPA.

Professional Membership

Not relevant for this Standard.

Standard Title

Metal Fabricator Level 3

Brief Description

The broad purpose of the occupation is to carry out metal fabrication work using things such as rolled steel joists, columns, channels, steel plate and metal sheet etc.

Work includes manufacturing bridges, oil rigs, ships, petro-chemical installations, cranes, platforms, aircraft, automotive and machinery parts, sheet metal enclosures, equipment supports, and anything that can be fabricated out of metal. Fabricators can work alone or in teams, in factories or on operational sites. Fabricators use a large range of metals including steel, aluminium and titanium at a range of thicknesses from 0.5mm up to over 20mm. The size and weight of the fabrications can range from components that can easily be picked up by hand, to massive structures that require several cranes to manipulate.

What will you learn

Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Knowledge),

or

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Knowledge)

The importance of complying with statutory, quality, organisational and health and safety regulations.
General engineering mathematical and scientific principles, methods, techniques, graphical expressions, symbols formulae and calculations.

Why it is important to continually review fabrication and general engineering processes and procedures.

Pattern development processes, tooling and equipment.

Cutting and forming techniques, tooling and equipment.

Describe Assembly and finishing processes, tooling and equipment.

In addition to lots more relevant to your chosen option.

The training will include

Face to face workshops together with online learning

1:1 support from a Tutor who will visit your workplace

Progress reviews to be completed with your Tutor and line manager

Development of a work-based portfolio to evidence learning

End-point assessment (EPA)

Functional Skills English and/or maths Level 2, if required

Entry Requirements

Individual employers will set the recruitment and selection criteria for their Apprenticeships. In order to optimise success, candidates will typically have 4 GCSEs at Grade C/4 or equivalent, including Mathematics, English and a Science.

In order to complete the apprenticeship, you will need English and maths at Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE grade 9-4), but if you don’t have these qualifications don’t let this stop you from undertaking the apprenticeship as we can help you gain the Level 2 requirement during your studies

Duration

42 months plus 3 months EPA

Professional Membership

This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:

• IMechE for Eng Tech
• IET for Eng Tech
• Royal Aeronautical Society for Eng Tech

Standard Title

Pipe Welder Level 3

Brief Description

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for the safety, quality, productivity and accuracy of their own work whilst ensuring it conforms to a relevant pipe welding specification. Ensuring the bore cleanliness is maintained to the requirements of the piping system to assure the integrity of the system, components and product that will flow within the completed pipe system. Pipe Welders can hold a range of responsibilities ranging from working autonomously during their planning and production activities to being an integrated part of a wider team working on the overall pipework system, reporting to a workplace supervisor. This can vary based on the size of organisation and sector in which they work.

What will you learn

The mechanical properties (strength, ductility, toughness, etc.), physical properties (dimensions, weight, corrosion susceptibility, contamination) of commonly welded materials.

The fundamentals of welding metallurgy (Weld Metal Solidification and Heat Affected Zone) and how this can affect weldability of materials and final joint integrity.

The common manual arc welding processes and the relative merits for a given application including Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Plasma Arc Welding (PAW), Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Metal Active Gas (MAG), Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW).

Identification and the causes of typical welding defects and how their occurrence can be reduced.

The training will include

Face to face workshops together with online learning

1:1 support from a Tutor who will visit your workplace

Progress reviews to be completed with your Tutor and line manager

Development of a work-based portfolio to evidence learning

End-point assessment (EPA)

Functional Skills English and/or maths Level 2, if required

Entry Requirements

There are no formal entry requirements.

In order to complete the apprenticeship, you will need English and maths at Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE grade 9-4), but if you don’t have these qualifications don’t let this stop you from undertaking the apprenticeship as we can help you gain the Level 2 requirement during your studies

Duration

48 months plus 3 months EPA

Professional Membership

This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:

• The Welding Institute for Engineering Technician

Standard Title

Plate Welder Level 3

Brief Description

The broad purpose of the occupation is to manually weld plate and structural components to high standards of quality. This will involve fabrication, construction or repair of fabricated plate assemblies, extrusions and structural components (e.g. Channel, H-Beams, I-Beams etc.) used often used to fabricate larger components and assemblies. Plate welders will weld to internationally recognised quality standards using more than one manual arc welding process from Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Plasma Arc Welding (PAW), Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Metal Inert Gas (MIG)/Metal Active Gas (MAG) and Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) on more than one material group from Carbon Steel, Low Alloy Steel, High Alloy Ferritic/Martensitic Steel, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Nickel & Nickel Alloys, Aluminium & Aluminium alloys, Titanium & Titanium Alloys, Copper & Copper Alloys. For example, a Plate Welder might use Manual Metal Arc (MMA) and Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) to join both Carbon Steel and Low Alloy Steel materials.

What will you learn

Dimensional and mechanical properties (strength, toughness, thermal expansion etc.) of materials to be welded.

Continuous improvement processes, performance review and how this is undertaken within their organisation.

The importance of complying with statutory, quality, organisational and health, safety and environmental regulations.

Types and functions of welding consumables, fluxing systems and the requirement for correct identification, storage, conditioning, handling, recycling and disposal.

Welding Procedure Specification requirements, contents, and information derived to establish specific production information.

The training will include

Face to face workshops together with online learning

1:1 support from a Tutor who will visit your workplace

Progress reviews to be completed with your Tutor and line manager

Development of a work-based portfolio to evidence learning

End-point assessment (EPA)

Functional Skills English and/or maths Level 2, if required

Entry Require-ments

There are no formal entry requirements.

In order to complete the apprenticeship, you will need English and maths at Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE grade 9-4), but if you don’t have these qualifications don’t let this stop you from undertaking the apprenticeship as we can help you gain the Level 2 requirement during your studies

Duration

36 months plus 3 months EPA

Professional Member- ship

This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:

• The Welding Institute for Engineering Technician