Lack Welding Knowledge?
How much is your welding operator’s lack of knowledge costing you?
The shortage of trained welding operators has been a major issue for most American companies, and now this shortage is stretching to other parts of the world as well. In addition, there is a genuine fear among managers that if they spend time and money training employees on the welding process – the employees will quit and work for a different company where they can get paid more money as a, now, “trained welding operator”. However, how much is their lack of knowledge costing your business?
When welding operators are unaware of the type of metal they are welding, the type of filler metal or electrodes they are using, or the gas mixture used, it can be costly when weld quality diminishes. When the operator doesn’t know what is causing cracks or porosity in the weld, how to adjust the power source correctly, or how to perform basic trouble shooting – production stops and money is lost.
Although it may be a risk to provide welding training for your operators, it may be more of a risk not to. Companies can however, provide basic to intermediate welding training for little to no cost. Welding manufacturers provide many training resources, on-line training programs, CDs, libraries of “how-to” articles, etc. In addition, the AWS (American Welding Society) provides welding resources both on-line, as well as through their local chapters.
How much production uptime could your company increase if your floor welding operators could perform basic maintenance and trouble shooting adjustments to their welding equipment?
Let me know what you think…Vote on the poll question and post your comments.
Average (Not Rated)
July 19th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
i tatally agree. the welding world is going down hill fast.if welders would get back to basics,then things would change,and if companys would (like has been stated) take time investing money and support in its personel instead of chucking us off ,and sending jobs across the water… to save a dollar instead of investeing in good ol american goods then things would be on the incline. i mean the newer gen of welders arent getting proper training because for the most part schools have taken the back seat to the voc.trades. welding is the backbone of america if you ask me. so therefore they are left with comm colledges and welding schools dont get me wrong thats great. just hard as heck to juggle with a full time job or part time.so the next “best” thing is to do is sign up for a class. to learn the basics of a process.already making ones self one diminsional. and not as marketable.follow that up with getting together with a friend of the same caliber and wala there you go…welders that have somewhat of a pratical knowledge but no theoretical to back up what it is they know or think they know. and how can a employer work with that.so yes money it will cost.
July 22nd, 2006 at 6:26 pm
what company will hire a disable sp ed
July 31st, 2006 at 5:26 pm
I think the point of minimal training is to have an employee preform a task( weld two parts together) at a cost of XXX dollars, as compared to paying a certified welder ( XXXX dolars ) to do the same task. Lack of training comes when an employee who has welded for a period of time and wants to advance to bigger welding task, but does not ask for, or is to afraid to ask for the proper training, again this has to do with the company’s commmitment to training of employee’s. I’m sorry to say not all company’s are big enough or can afford to train welders.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:47 am
For sure Welding is not only importat but it even main and unique skill. In job to day we have a great problem in this field. Not only the lack of skill welder but also the lack of Testing technicians. I my self is in great need to learn more in the field of welding and material Testing.
August 7th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
I think that we need to start teaching the trade sooner. I am a high school welding teacher in North Carolina an I am only one of maybe 20 in the state. A lot of of the youth don’t know how difficult welding is and its better that they find out in high school then after the student gets in college or in a job. We have got to get the progams to the youth and start teaching welding sooner.
August 14th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
I totally agree, I´m living in venezuela. I say to my customers the need to know the operators manual to welding operators. thanks for the oportunity
to express our opinion.
how can I learn more about you diferent welders and process ?
August 15th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
You can visit www.MillerWelds.com or HobartBrothers.com
Thanks for visiting.
August 21st, 2006 at 12:11 pm
From a distributors point of view, train your welders, not only how to weld, and inspect, train the operators how to trouble shoot the equipment. Many times in the 14 years I have been in sales, I have seen experienced welders just stop, and call when their machine stops working. I have driven over an hour just to open the valve of a cylinder, or change a gun liner, or to preform other “basic” tasks. This sometimes can cost the end users hours of down time.
September 16th, 2006 at 12:11 am
Big named company’s need to start helping schools, like high schools that can’t afford to run a welding progams. My high school was not able to afford much but everyone of those kids that took the class could at least weld when they left there. That is all the more people that will buy a welder. If you can’t weld what good does buying a welder do you. So please. “Miller” “Hobart” “Lincoln” you give all these race teams like myself all kinds of money to put your logo on TV mybe put your logo where all those mechanics learned to weld at, in the public school system.In highschool our welders were way out dated and our tig welders came over on the “mayflower”( no Joke) Make A difference! please
September 21st, 2006 at 12:29 pm
There is an obvious defined need for specialized welding schools in the United States. Schools that will teach from Basics, to trouble shooting. There is a school in Missouri that does a fair job, however, they fall short of the training perspective because they are too tied up in their own money making efforts.
Weld defects, what to do about them, how to repair them, etc., etc. are things schools are not covering and it’s a shame.
R. Nunn, Missouri
October 8th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
I agree that the world needs more welders. I personally started my trade in High School and was competive in VICA. I also trained with the U.S. Army expanding my knowledge and skills. I feel that the area communitys need to take a look at providing support as adult education and be willing to help instead of letting Companys just jump overseas. I read an article on the AWS website were they were certifing welders in CHINIA. If America doesn’t wake up we will all be triing to get into CHINIA and Mexico. Thanks for letting me state my opionon.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
It is well documented that the country is facing a shortage of qualified welders. A number of welders left the trade in the 80’s when there was a shortage of work, and many took pay cuts to keep their jobs. There is also a natural attrition due to the large number of retiring baby boomers. Then we have employers curtailing their costs even further by outsourcing and sending many operations overseas. This however contributes to the shortage of jobs.
In Washington state we have community and technical colleges that offer training programs in welding. I teach at one of our states technical colleges and our program has been full and even overloaded for many years, we have a 100% placement record with our graduates. Our welding program includes state certification in all the common welding processes. We also teach the related training of basic metallurgy, fundamentals, safety, processes and applications, and blueprint reading.
My advise to employers that are having trouble with their welders quality and knowledge level, is to pay a decent living wage and hire graduates from a post secondary welding program.
October 20th, 2006 at 5:52 am
Mr. Parker makes some very good points regarding wages and hiring. Welders may also be attracted to work for a company that values continuous training and ranks it highly among its “company benefits.” Hiring welders who have had post secondary welding education makes sense.
Many companies will find that a few weeks of specialized training for their welders is quickly repaid in terms of increased productivity, reduced scrap, and improved employee morale.
Miller’s education team does a great job teaching how to operate and troubleshoot any issues with the Miller equipment. Hobart Institute of Welding Technology can assist in evaluating your welding processes and training needs and has professional instructors and certification personnel on staff to assist companies with specialized training or certification – at your place or ours! Phone 1-800-332-9448 or e-mail hiwt@welding.org.
October 22nd, 2006 at 11:59 am
I find it distrubing that companies say there is a shortage fo welders and then you apply and they tell you your skills are not what they need.
October 22nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
ther is a company in wisconsin that has a 1 billion dollar backorder log for cranes and they cannot get the machines out, I believe it’s partly due to having your welders do assembly and other tasks.which then causes backlog work.
November 7th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
In my area MIG welders make about 8 to 9.00 dollars a hour with no benefits. You can go to work at K-Mart and make more than that. What is the sense of wasting money to go to school? Any Cal-Jobs opening that I seen wants aleast two years experience. Training programs are great but, if you can’nt offer a job placement afterwords want is the need for it. If these companies are worried about skilled welders leaving for greener pastures than water the lawn not just pile manture top of it. In other words they need to take better of thier employees.
November 12th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
I like all the comments I have read. I agree that all welders need continous improvements and training.
However, the main problem I see is that Welders can train all they want for years and still only make 2/3 rds as much as Millwrights or Electricians, and the health hazards are twice as bad. Are we less intelligent?
Go Figure.
November 25th, 2006 at 12:44 am
During the summer I went through a program which supposidly was getting me prepared for an 8wk training program with a large shipbuilding Co.Unfortunately,because I wasn’t prepared enough with hands-on,they let me go.They told me I didn’t have what it takes to be a welder,well,i’m now attending nite class,I’m progressing very well,in fact my instructor is training me for my certification.Also,I’m an older woman,I’d like to know,are more woman going into welding?If so,is there a web site?I love welding.It’s a great trade! Thankyou….Linda
January 27th, 2007 at 2:18 am
Bonjour! What a super websight! Very refreshing to peruse from where we live in Paris (France). I eat frogs and drink wine. Woold like more informatons on this. Best regards! Mikael.
January 30th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Superb! (I wrote something else and then I read below that I aint supposed ter. So I deleted it.)