Are you forgetting that the CAWI must work within audible and visual range of a CWI?

So, unless there is an employer that needs someone to carry drawings, take coffee orders, tote a tool bag, and other miscellaneous go-fer work there are limits to job descriptions the CAWI can fulfill.

Enough of the sarcasm. There are plenty of opportunities for the CAWI. However, there are limitations imposed on the CAWI to protect the CAWI from running afoul of the Code of Ethics they agreed to when they accepted the AWS issued credential. The CAWI credential was issued by AWS because either the candidate does not have a mastery of the subject matter or they do not have the experience required to be a CWI. The problems reported to AWS usually involve situations where the unscrupulous employer assigns the unsuspecting CAWI to job assignments beyond the limitations established by AWS.

In many respects it is to the individual’s benefit to decline accepting the AWS credential, e.g., the CAWI credential, so AWS has no jurisdiction on the individual’s job assignments. No AWS credential, no limitations on the work assignments performed at the employer’s request.

Al

Hello Shane;

As I stated there is a level of snobbery involved with many of the derogatory comments on the subject of the CAWI. However, since you bring up the subject of NDT the difference is that unlike QC1, SNT-TC-1A imposes few restrictions of the activities of the Level I. To top it off, SNT-TC-1A is simply a recommended practice, so the employer can assign the Level I work with little supervision unless the applicable code imposes restrictions on what the Level I can and cannot do.

If the employer has adopted CP-189, a standard, the requirements are mandatory and any restrictions on the activities of the Level I must be observed. 

Companies here in the US have been slow to adopt CP-189. As a result most contracts and construction codes still reference SNT-TC-1A. As such, the employer is allowed to do pretty much as they please as long as they define the responsibilities of the various levels of NDT certification in their written practice and the customer does not object.

I am an advocate of CP-189 and recommend its adoption to my customers. I make it a speaking point to identify the differences between SNT-TC-1A and CP-189 when given the opportunity to present at various seminars. The differences are significant and it is important to understand what you are getting when hiring a company to provide NDT services.

Best regards - Al