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Here's my take...
If you really want to sort them out properly according to pay rate, etc., then test them in such a manner prior to hiring them in the first place. ;)
In other words, if you're a welding engineer, and this is your own shop, then you can test them to whatever you want them to and according to the types of joints most likely found in your shop as well as tests that are designed for what you may see in future work...
It doesn't matter what they were qualified to previously because in your shop, the quals they had do not reflect the WPS's you're working to anyway... So test them to WPS's you know will be used in your shop and add any other type of WPS which may reflect the type of future work you may be going after. ;)
The set of definitions you're looking for cannot be found in only one body of knowledge... However, the AWS does have the specifications as well as the guidelines as Brent mentioned previously, and I would only add that the guidelines should be studied and the performance qualification tests looked at in detail for guidance:
http://files.aws.org/education/sense/sense_presentation.pdfHere are the guidelines:
https://www.awspubs.com/product_info.php?products_id=757https://www.awspubs.com/product_info.php?cPath=432&products_id=207https://www.awspubs.com/product_info.php?cPath=432&products_id=208These guidelines can help you determine which type of single test you want to come up with to use in your own shop... An easy way of weeding out the "wannabee's. ;)"
The NCCER has similar guidelines that can be compared to these... So if any of your potential new hires do not have any type of training that follows whatever level you pick to choose as your minimum entry level type of welder/fabricator, then you simply do not hire them if they do not meet your minimum qualification level.
As a welding engineer, this shouldn't be too much of an issue for you to handle... So handle it! ;)
Respectfully,
Henry