There is a shortage of most skilled craft, welders don't hold a patent on that one. fitters, plumbers, inspectors, you name it, there is a shortage.
I can weld but my primary trade is inspection. In that, there are few left who know what they are doing. In particular UT. With the scopes that are available today, the new comers lean heavily on the machine to do the work for them. Ask one of them about echo dynamics and you get the doe in the headlights look. To them, the only thing that matters is what comes up in the gate. If it does something outside of that, they are totally lost.
As them what a parasitic wave is, or the difference between a lateral and a creeper wave, the same look. The same for flaw characterization.
Welders of late have been more and more of the rod and wire burner variety. The older welders who truely understood the "art" of welding are even rarer than a good NDE tech. The new guys look at the WPS but don't understand it. To them, the numbers are abstract data picked up from the welding gods at a SMAW ritual. I've recently ran across a lot of just these kind. The WPS restricts weave to four rod diameters. These guys are trying to run 6 and 7 diameter, having trouble maintaining arc, in short, have no rod control skills to speak of. The scary part is, these guys are truely pissed becaused they failed, stating ademently that in the former contract, they all passed?
In short, to many young folks think making a living is pushing a mouse button for 100 bucks a click. They consider welding and inspection to be "manual" labor and when you hear them say it, you would think manual labor ranked right up there with sucking a portajohn clean.
comonarc, I am seeing it as well, but as you said in your other post, you have been welding for 20 years. That pretty much makes you one of the old farts you used to talk about. Do you have any answers as to how to get qualified welders to take up our trade, move all over the country, live out of a suitcase and grundgy motels (or even nice ones) for weeks, months, etc I have went to a couple of the local trade schools and talked to them about getting into the apprenticship program, but they dont want to travel, they dont want to work up high, get dirty in a grubby old boiler. We are facing this problem all over the united states and canada. It is our job, as the old farts, to get in there and help out these unqualified people and make them more proficient. I have never had a problem going up to someone strugglinig, and asking if they would like some help. I see this as ensuring my pension. 99% of the time, they will say yes, please. I am always happy to take a little time and help out someone who is willing to listen and learn. On the other hand, if they say I can get it, I just step back and say, well, I hope we have that much time. I could go on with other problems we are having, like attendance, just here for the check or till the next overtime job breaks, but that serves no purpose. What does, is taking the time to help out the ones that want to learn
Mike