By jrw159
Date 06-29-2011 13:24
Edited 06-29-2011 22:43
I am simply clarifying the difference between the person taking the test and the one giving the test, as well as the fact that there is, for certain facilities, a great benefit in being AWS accredited. Also that inspectors are rarely, if ever, the ones that "accept cert's". A certification from an AWS accredited facility carries far more wieght than the run of the mill certification. The idea that only "factories" utilize AWS ATF's is simply false. I have been on jobs ranging from pipeline's, refinery's, bridge, structural, and several others that by requirement, utilize ATF's for welder qualification's. Also when pulling up to test, it has been my experiance that the welders with certifications from an AWS ATF go to the FRONT of the line, and that decision was not made by me, it was made by the contractor and the end customer.
So in short, the statement that being an AWS ATF has no value is, well, Bullsnot.
I will say that there are indeed ungoverned industries inhabited by "Fly by night unscrupulous gypsys" where you can buy any kind of cert you want with a bottle of booze and a trip to the strip club, but I doubt that this is the type of clientel the OP is interested in.