I test alot of welders bend alot of staps and see those welders put out in the field,on many different processes and applications with all kinds of joints and angles.Working with fitters that are trying to accomplish one thing getting the job done which they should. Unfortunatly in the Construction world the trend is No welding Dept. No welding formens which equals No proper accountability, so don't think for one minute that that a welder in a test booth with everything just right that can pass a test is going to be able to make it in the field,the test is only a indicator that the welder has the skills to be trained to learn to make that particular weld.
Got it. Thanks Al, much better definition than I had.
As far as the post below, it's certainly true that success on a test coupon doesn't mean success in production. Our hire-on test is a 3g plate in steel and if that looks good we give one in aluminum. It's simply a way to see just how proficient the operator might be, not a do-all, end-all. I am a little discouraged, because a lot of guys just want to burn, they don't seem to want to improve. A few of the guys working here now are pretty good, and they could learn to be so much better, but they have little motivation. I'm new here, so I'm not sure why, but I suspect it's got a lot to do with pay. SATX doesn't have the highest wage rates in the country, so a lot of talent is probably driven north. We do have one kid who passed his test plates, and now is ready for some D1.6 stuff. As soon as I have it written, he'll be running it (just a reminder; I am rewriting my entire welding program).
Hello Bozak;
I know what you mean. Few people take advantage of opportunities for training and advancement when it's offered.
I took a job once simply because they offered a tuition reimbursement program. I was the manager of their pressure vessel fabrication department. Of the 75 people that reported directly to me, I couldn't convince one of them that it would be worth their time and effort to take advantage of the tuition program and take a few courses to further their education.
When I needed to hire several welders, I hired one young man because he was attending college part time and could weld. He wasn't the best welder when I hired him, but he caught on very quickly and became one of my better layout men and improved as a welder. I tried to institute cross training to prepare them for additional responsibilities, but only a few took advantage of the opportunity for additional training. They were satisfied with the status quo.
I left the company after five years with a degree tucked into my belt. The company is now one of my clients. That young welder; he's now one of their top research chemists. The others were happy to burn rod, not that that is a bad thing, but the company changed direction and only one of the twenty two welders that worked for me is still welding at that facility.
Welding is one of the few occupations that permit the practitioner to progress as far as he/she wants to go. A person can earn a living welding non-critical, non-code weldments or they can practice and train to become a skilled pipe welder or structural welder or specialize in equipment and machine repair. You can earn a degree and design weldments or manage projects that are beyond a young man's imagination. Yet, few technologies still depend of the skills of the individual like welding does.
I'm not sure the conversations between the "older" generations and the "younger" generations have changed that much. How many of the old timers looked around at the new crop of apprentices and said, "If that's our best, we're doomed!"
Somehow the human race continues to muddle forward. "Hey, Clive, you see the way that kid swings his spindly club? He's gonna starve! He ain't gonna kill nuthing with his lousy aim!"
Best regards - Al