References: iStock 637074170

YOUR PATH TO BECOMING

A WELDING ENGINEER
Learn everything about further education.

www.gsi-slv.de
 CONTENTS
Introduction 3

The profession of welding engineer 4

Entry requirements for the welding engineer training 4

Structure of the welding engineer training 5-7

Cost of the training 8

Starting the training 8

The GSI SLV – a strong partner 8

Career prospects for welding engineers 9

GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg

Introduction
School, studies, learning. A never-ending process
to become professionally successful: Continuing
­education is the be-all and end-all when it comes to
­getting ahead in your profession. This is especially
true in ­technological and innovative environments
and for major trends such as smart factory and
­digitalisation. Specialising in a particular field has
many benefits: you’re not just one of many, you’re
the go-to person when it comes to meeting very
specialised requirements. Potentially earning a
higher salary is certainly also a reason to consider
further training.
The possibilities for development are varied. When
you finish your engineering studies, there are many
different specialisation options to choose from, one
of which is welding engineer training. As is so often
the case, however, there are many questions to be
answered first. These are usually the famous W’s (and
how) that we’re all familiar with from our school days:
What? Who? How? When? Why?
GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg
■ What does a welding engineer actually do?
■ Who can train to become a welding engineer?
■ How do you become a welding engineer?
■ How long does it take to become a
welding engineer?
■ How much does it cost to become
a welding engineer?
■ When does the welding engineer training start?
■ Why train at the GSI SLV?
■ Why should you train to become
a welding engineer?
But unlike at school, it’s not you who has to give
answers – we will answer all your questions about
training to become an International Welding Engineer
(IWE). We explain everything about the process,
the duration, the locations, the partners and future
career prospects.
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The profession of
welding engineer
What does a welding engineer actually do? From the
design to the manufacturing stages, engineers with
comprehensive welding knowledge are required to
­tackle the multiple challenges involved in building
bridges, pressure vessels, boilers, steel-framed building
constructions, vehicles for water, air, space, rails
and roads, as well as in machine, system and pipeline
engineering. Your work isn’t just varied, it’s vitally
important too.

As a welding engineer, you take on planning and e ­ xe-

cutive tasks. Because projects often run over l­onger
periods of time, a welding engineer’s working life will

References: iStock-505801168
also change at regular intervals. Your employers may
be very different. In the construction sector, you’ll be
dealing with skyscrapers and bridges, maybe even
tunnels and rail tracks as well as other infrastructure-
related units of traffic route engineering, or you’ll
develop welding processes for the latest demo vehicles
of well-known automotive manufacturers. In large
industrial systems, you’ll look after giant tanks, pipeline
systems or the air conditioning. From filling stations Entry requirements for
to factories and hotels – you’ll work in lots of different
places. Whether in production halls, pipeline assembly the training
or repair works on oil rigs, being a welding engineer
Who can train to become a welding engineer? In
will take you to i­nteresting places and pose many
order to be eligible, you must have a Bachelor of Engin-
different challenges.
eering or Bachelor of Science degree in a technical
And what’s expected of a welding engineer? General subject area. The relevant certificates must be issued
and specialist technical knowledge relevant to the by an institute of higher education (university), an
tasks assigned and the products to be manufactured institute of technology (university) or a university of
(e.g. construction of cranes, pressure vessels or rail applied sciences.
vehicles, etc.).

You also need good people and methodology skills,

because welding engineers can also quickly become
a responsible welding supervisor and thus a manager.

GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg

Structure of the training
How do you become a welding engineer? And how parts and 4 topical focus areas and comprises a total
long does it take? The training is divided into 3 modular of 448 hours of teaching (not including the exams).

Part 1: Theory Intermin exam Part 2: Part 3: Theory Final exam

(93 hours) (2 hours) Practical exerci- (295 hours) (7 hours)
100 % distance ses (60 hours) Blended learning
learning at home 100 % classroom (50 % distance
learning / Duisburg, learning at home
Germany plus 50 % classroom
learning / Duisburg,
Germany)

References: iStock-531424514

GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg

Contents:
Parts 1 and 3 – Theory
The first and third part of the welding engineer Module 4 – Manufacturing and
­training are theory-based and can therefore be taken application engineering
in e-learning format or on site. So no matter where
Quality assurance in the welding shop, ­manufacturer
you live, no matter the city or country, you can start
qualifications, welding procedure qualification, welder
your welding engineer training with the GSI SLV
qualification test, residual stresses and deformation
anywhere.
in welded components, assessment of welding imper-
fections, ­non-destructive testing of materials, weld
inspection, efficiency, workshop equipment, repair
Module 1 – Welding processes and equipment
welding, occupational health and safety, accident
Welding power sources, shielded metal arc welding, prevention, case studies.
metal inert gas welding, gas tungsten arc welding,
plasma arc welding, submerged arc welding, electric
resistance welding, oxy-fuel welding, specialised E-learning
welding methods, plastic welding, thermal cutting,
Because Part 1 of the training is theory-based, it can
mechanisation/robot welding, soldering, thermal
be completed via e-learning. Because Part 2 includes
spraying.
practical topics, this phase must be completed on site
at the SLV Duisburg. Part 3 can be completed via
e-learning. The training can therefore be structured
Module 2 – Materials and their behaviour
precisely to suit your needs.
in welding

Production and standardisation of steels, the basics

of metallurgy, heat treatment, welding suitability of Advantages of e-learning
alloyed and high-alloyed steels as well as aluminium,
■ Flexibility in terms of time and location
copper and nickel materials, destructive materials
and weld seam testing, welding special metals and ■ No travel time or costs
different materials, mixed compounds. Metallography,
lab exercises. ■ No need to stress about scheduling or time

■ Take the classes whenever you want

Module 3 – Construction and calculation ■ During the on-site phases, you can consolidate
your knowledge and get to know the lecturers
Designing and assessing statically and dynamically and your fellow trainees in person
stressed parts, the fundamentals of the strength of
materials and calculating the weld seam: design ■ Theoretical knowledge is put into practice in lab
principles of welded constructions, welded joints and exercises and case studies
weld seam illustrations, behaviour of welded compo-
nents with different loads; welded constructions for
predominantly static, dynamic or temperature-
influenced loads, welded aluminium constructions,
fracture mechanics.

GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg

Contents: Part 2 – Practical exercises
The second part of the welding engineer training
must be taken in person at the SLV Duisburg.
Oxy-fuel welding, shielded metal arc welding,
metal inert gas welding, gas tungsten arc welding,
introduction to other special welding processes
In this part, you’ll gain extensive practical knowledge,
which will give you a significant insight into the high
level of manual skills needed for welding and the
resulting measures for production and assembly.
GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg
An example
You are currently working in Barcelona. You can
complete the first part of the training via distance
learning.
You then complete the second, practical part at the
SLV Duisburg. But, after Part 2, you have to go back
to Barcelona. No problem – you can simply complete
Part 3 via our e-learning programme.
The different parts of the training can be taken at
different times but the entire training must be com-
pleted within three years.
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Cost of the training
And how much does it cost to become an IWE?
Generally, the training costs 9,975 €.
An example
You want to complete the first and third part of the
training via distance learning.
Part 1
via e-learning including exam 2,050 €
Part 2
at the SLV Duisburg 1,450 €
Part 3
via blended learning 6,475 €
As you can see, you can tailor your course to
your own requirements.
Starting the training
When does the welding engineer training start?
The e-learning parts can be started at any time.
GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg
The GSI SLV – a strong partner
Why train with the GSI SLV? Our extensive education
and training expertise makes GSI a reliable partner
for companies that rely on qualified and certified per-
sonnel. And when employees want to independently
progress their development and career, the GSI is the
first port of call too.
The GSI-Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International
mbH (GSI SLV) is a market leader in its field of
­education and training thanks to its methods expertise.
It is a reliable partner for certifications, damage
assessments, tests series, and for developments
and approvals.
The activities of GSI can be divided into four different
areas, represented by the specialist groups Education
and Training, Quality Assurance, Materials Technology,
and Research and Development.
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Career prospects for
welding engineers
Why should you train to become a welding engineer? In many areas of welding construction, calculation
Put simply, welding engineers don’t just get the and preparation, the International Welding Engineer
chance to immerse themselves in many different qualification represents a welcome additional quali-
working environments, they can also work in many fication. Thanks to the interdisciplinary focus of this
different sectors all around the world. further training, this additional qualification is in-
creasingly in demand in other, non-regulated sectors,
The International Welding Engineer qualification is
such as mechanical and automotive engineering.
a useful extension of your engineering studies and
covers topics relating to joining technology and in
particular welding technology. Thanks to the increasing
For a better overview, here are the main advantages
need for specialist skilled workers in the field of
of training as a welding engineer at a glance:
joining technology, this further training is an important
step in advancing your own career development. ■ Career opportunities at international level
Above all, qualified welding engineers are internationally
recognised and valued. ■ Job opportunities in many different sectors

They enjoy secure employment, because the job ■ Welding engineer is an in-demand specialist
comes with great responsibility.
■ Shortage of specialists means excellent
The need for qualified welding and joining professionals employment prospects
is huge, so employment prospects are excellent.
■ Opportunities to become a welding supervisor
And more importantly – the IWE is indispensable! In
manufacturing companies, depending on the sector, ■ Higher salary
an in-house IWE is sometimes even mandatory. In
■ Continuing professional development
particular, these include manufacturers of steel
components, rail vehicles, of offshore and aerospace
products, components for pressure vessels or pipe-
lines, as well as plant engineering companies in the Through this, you will acquire key competencies that
chemical industry and power plant construction will enable you, on both a national and international
sector. level, to plan and monitor the production of welded
components and to manage these manufacturing
Operating as a manufacturing shop in this interesting facilities yourself.
and diverse field requires a designated welding
supervisor whose expertise enables them to take
responsibility for ensuring the required high quality
standards.

GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg

Contact
You are interested in a further education as a welding
engineer by the GSI SLV? Please contact us now
and arrange an individual consultation appointment.

e-Learning:
Frank Moll

State: 15.10.2020
+49 203 3781 - 252
moll@slv-duisburg.de

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GSI SLV | www.gsi-slv.de | Bismarckstraße 85 | 47057 Duisburg