WELDABILITY-SIF TO INITIATE FOUNDATION LEVEL WELDER SKILLS TRAINING AT STEVENAGE SKILLS CENTRE

Both Weldability-Sif and the TWI are promoting a training programme (see attached document) to develop the welding skills necessary to meet this demand and to overcome the current skills gaps in the UK welding industry.

Weldability-Sif has formed the Weldability-Sif Foundation, a charity that will co-fund the implementation of the initial stages of training and will assist with encouraging all UK Skill Centres to implement and start the training process. Weldability-Sif will also assist in the promotion of this training scheme using their national network of over 1500 distributors and for the first time, promote a fully deliverable and connected scheme that can lead from the Foundation level through to a passport to practice welding internationally and then lead to top TWI qualifications at the International Engineer level.

North Herts College – the Stevenage Skills Centre is running a pilot scheme and offering welder training since April 2011.

Adrian Hawkins, Managing Director, Weldability-Sif said: “I understand that some 200 existing course students will benefit and that other students will be attracted now that the Stevenage Skill Centre fully possesses the ability to provide this training. The Principal and his staff are vigorously leading the way in developing closer ties with Hertfordshire business in integrating the correct skill set for the local business community.

With increasing cost of fossil fuels, their limited supply and the legally binding CO2 reduction targets, the UK is committed to delivering low carbon forms of energy generation such as wind and nuclear power. With major build programmes for both of these in progress (the intention is to install 11 to 15 nuclear power stations and up to 30,000 wind turbines in the UK over the next decade), there are significant fabrication and skills challenges to ensure budgets are kept under control and the requisite quality is delivered.

It has been predicted that the nuclear build programme alone will create some 20,000 new jobs within the UK economy and it has been recognised that there is a skills gap that needs to be filled if the full benefits to UK industry are to be gained.”