Weldability-Sif adds support to e-learning consortium

The Weldability-Sif E-learning Welding Tutorial is a fully interactive audio-visual DVD and provides training in a safe environment enabling the user to gain knowledge and experience using virtual reality prior to entering a real life workshop environment.

The E-Welding & Fabrication consortium is a group of colleges and organisations including Skills2Learn, City & Guilds, Carnegie College and the City of Bristol College, all of whom are involved in the development of learning technologies that support the education and industry sectors with special emphasis on the welding & fabrication industry.

The consortium has created a series of welding and fabrication based e-learning programmes and text workbooks to provide a structured blended learning approach that will enhance the learning experience and stimulate a deeper understanding of the Welding and Fabrication trades and give an awareness of health & safety and sustainability issues. The content within these learning materials has been aligned to units of the National Occupational Standards and can be used as a support tool whilst studying for any relevant vocational qualifications.

The consortium members have many years experience in the welding and fabrication and educational sectors and have created this blended learning approach of interactive e-learning programmes and text workbooks to achieve the aim of providing accessible training in different areas of welding and fabrication, bridging the gap between classroom based and practical based learning and enabling learners to gain new skills and qualifications more effectively

Adrian Hawkins, Managing Director at Weldability-Sif said: “I have a unique bird’s eye view of the needs of welding skills both as Managing Director of Weldability-Sif and Chairman of the Association of Welding Distribution and my vision is of further investment in education through government and charitable funding now that vocational skills are back on the educational agenda and the e-learning Consortium certainly helps that cause. Weldability-Sif is very pleased to be able to support it.

I believe e-learning is an ideal alternative and the way forward to teach best practice processes on jobs which use large quantities of/or expensive materials. Students can practice their techniques and boost their confidence to a high enough standard before being allowed near real materials. This type of guided learning can significantly reduce material costs used in training facilities and effectively pay for itself as a result.”

This e-learning tutorial closely maps the EAL – Weldability-Sif Foundation training courses which in turn follow the Welding Industry pathway supported by the Association of Welding Distribution and the Welding Institute.