News

On Wednesday, 16 October, we hosted our Professional Members’ Day - Hydrogen for Power: Materials Behaviour and Associated Challenges Event.

Our morning session began with an introduction by TWI Ltd Interim CEO David Wrathmall welcoming everyone to the event. This was then followed by a series of technical talks focusing on ‘Hydrogen for Power - Materials Behaviour and Associated Challenges’ by industry experts.

Speakers and their presentations included:

Paul Woollin, Director of Research, TWI Ltd - Past, Present and Future Hydrogen-related Activities and Initiatives at TWI Ltd.

Elizabeth Simon, Green Energy Partnerships Director, Hydrogen Safe, The Hydrogen Industry – Coming to a Town or City Near You

Prof Gareth Hinds, Senior NPL Fellow and Science Area Leader, Electrochemistry, National Physical Laboratory - Overview of NPL Hydrogen Research

James Hunt, Future Propulsion Lead, The University of Sheffield AMRC - Challenges for Materials in Hydrogen Propulsion Systems

Dr Angel Izquierdo Sanchez, Engineer, ROSEN (UK) Ltd. -Materials Challenges when Repurposing Pipelines to Hydrogen

Kate Kell, Operations Manager, TWI Ltd - MAST3RBoost: Materials Innovation for Next Generation Hydrogen Storage

Dr Bernadette Craster, Technology Fellow - Polymeric Materials and Ageing through Permeation Processes, TWI Ltd - Non-metallics and Hydrogen

These presentations were extremely informative and gave us a look at hydrogen for power and its associated challenges. It was great hearing from so many speakers with a range of background knowledge and experience. Our Members found this really beneficial.

Throughout the day we also had our TWI Certification, Professional Membership and Digital Library stands, for Members to enquire and learn more about. During the day we also had a drop in sessions running such as; A deep dive into the archive with the Digital Library and Membership Review Meetings with our Professional Membership Team. In addition we had a lab tour running throughout the morning.

Our afternoon session was all about our Members and giving them a chance to have their say.

Workshops were hosted focusing on our Members and Member benefits such as:

• Enhancing support to Branches
• Development for future skills requirements to meet industry demand
• Making more of membership benefits

These sessions gave our Members a chance to have their say and learn more about their membership.

Finally, to conclude the day, we ended with an awards ceremony to recognise longstanding Professional Members of The Welding Institute. Receiving recognition for their work spanning decades and being commended for their commitments to The Institute.

Thank you to all who could attend our Professional Members’ Day here at TWI Abington – if you were unable to attend we hope we can see you at the next event.

EUR ING C.E David Rowe CEng, CSci, FIMMM, FWeldI joined The Welding Institute as a Senior Member in 2004 after working, since 1997, with friction stir welding inventor Wayne Thomas on the friction stir welding of steel and 7000 series aluminium. David has a BSc in Metallurgy from the University of Durham and is now the company owner for Cedar Metals Ltd. With this knowledge and experience, David volunteers for The Welding Institute, conducting Professional Registration Interviews (PRIs), which he has now completed over 115 of!

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

It looked interesting and so I became chartered in 1975.

Why did you volunteer to be a part of PRIs?

I had been a volunteer for PRIs for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3) for several years. I joined the Eastern Counties branch and became treasurer in 2008. I was also an elected member of the Membership, Education and Registration Committee (MERC), serving the regulatory 6 years, and was Branch Representative on Professional Board from 2011 – 2017. I also carried out PRIs for IoM3 from January 2016 – December 2020 (6 years maximum allowed) and for the Science Council from 2017 – 2021, until assessments were transferred to being online.

What do you like about volunteering?

Meeting new people, previously in-person at interviews and, post pandemic, online for PRIs. I have also been a member of virtual panels for several years, assessing candidates prior to their PRI interviews. Volunteering helps me keep up to date with technology, where I read technical journals and publications on various topics mostly outside my area of expertise, so that I am knowledgeable on the topics discussed by candidates at interview.

What benefits have you seen from volunteering as an interviewer?

Learning about new developments via candidates and helping them advance in their careers, which is good for the candidate’s continuous professional development (CPD) records and my own.

How would you recommend volunteering?

As well as helping candidates with their career advancement, I also give lectures to the Branches and other learned societies, promulgating my specialist knowledge on my areas of expertise. I would recommend volunteering to any Member of The Welding Institute. You meet new people, learn about their activities and gain new knowledge - all helping to keep my brain alert and young!

 Out of all the PRIs, is there one that stood out to you the most?

None in particular for The Welding Institute as, once I have done the PRI, I destroy all candidates’ records in accordance with GDPR; I forget about the interview, who I interviewed, and when. The only record I keep is a spreadsheet of the names of my co-interviewer and the date. However, one for Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3) stood out. It was a female applicant for CEng who had a PhD in Engineering, was fluent in 9 languages, and worked in the oil and gas industry. She had moved to New Zealand and wanted to get married there. However, her UK qualifications were not recognised there, and she had to gain the EC CEng, which was recognised. She was brilliant, and we rushed through her CEng so she could get married to a New Zealand guy a couple of weeks later. This shows the importance of the UK CEng qualification being recognised worldwide.

From 2015 to 2024, you have successfully completed over 100 PRIs – how did it feel achieving this milestone?

I did not realise I had done this till I checked my ‘interviewed-with’ spreadsheet and found I had actually done 115 PRIs for TWI to date.

In total, as well as the 115 for The Welding Institute, I have carried out 28 for the IoM3, 47 for the Science Council (SC), and 5 for The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA). The SC and TOPRA interviews were mainly biosciences and medical staff, which gave me insights into new vaccine and medical research developments. One candidate for the SC for The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSci) we interviewed and failed, as he was doing research on monkey behaviour and concluded that the monkeys were cleverer than him!

Who is The Younger Members’ Committee?

The Younger Members’ Committee (YMC) is a collective of younger engineers with a passion for welding and engineering. The YMC is an opportunity to increase your network through The

Welding Institute by sharing common interests and knowledge with fellow industry members.

The YMC is here to support your career developments through professional support, guidance and mentoring, whichever stage you may be at. This committee is for those between 18 – 35. The YMC aims to promote engagement of younger people in educational settings through STEM activities, educational outreach and collaboration with other institutions.

Being a part of your local regional branch gives you a range of opportunities such as monthly meetings (both online and in person) including technical talks and site visits.

Local branches of The Welding Institute and Technical Groups, actively host meetings that count towards your Continuous Professional Development (CPD). CPD demonstrates your professional and academic experience to enable you to manage and evaluate your own growth. It is a useful tool to understand previous/ current professional achievements and an opportunity to plan for future developments.

Launch of the first YMC webinar

The YMC is launching a series of webinars starting with their first on 30 September 2024 from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM (UK Time), titled ‘From Arc to Ashes – the Lifecycle of a Weld: An Introduction to Friction Welding and Processing’. This webinar will cover topics such as; welding, mechanical (destructive) testing, non-destructive testing, materials and defects. It will also provide an overview of types of friction welding and processing, how they work and some of the key industrial applications. In addition, this is a great opportunity for an insight into careers within the industry.

Discover more: From Arc to Ashes – the Lifecycle of a Weld: An Introduction to Friction Welding and Processing.

We are please to share that Samantha Thomas has been appointed as the new Chair of TWI’s Tipper Group. Since joining TWI in June, Samantha has served as our Technology Roadmap and Investment Manager. The Tipper Group, named after the pioneering metallurgist and crystallographer Constance Tipper, who was the first female full-time faculty member at the Cambridge University Department of Engineering, was established in 2016 to foster and promote female talent in scientific fields. 

In 2019, the Group's mission expanded when it became part of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s diversity and inclusion progression framework implementation steering group. This led to a decision to address a broader spectrum of diversity issues, uniting various perspectives under a single initiative aimed at cultivating an inclusive culture that inspires, attracts talent, and supports the career development of individuals regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality, beliefs, (dis)abilities, or socio-economic status.

The Tipper Group's current objectives include raising awareness of unconscious bias, enhancing confidence, facilitating career advancement and peer learning, as well as improving work-life balance, providing mentoring, and advocating for diversity in senior role shortlists. Commenting on her new role as Chair, Samantha expressed, “I am thrilled to take on the Chair position for this vital group. Diversity and Inclusion are essential for everyone, and I am eager to contribute to TWI’s ongoing efforts.”

Earlier last year, we launched The Welding Institute's 'Jobsite', included in your Professional Membership. The Jobsite connects Members to a range of job vacancies specifically related to the welding, joining and allied technologies industries, ranging from entry-level to management roles. Our platform uses location and distance discriminators, in addition to an advanced search, to aid you in finding jobs in your desired field.

While the subscription-based platform is oriented towards Professional Members of the Institute, anyone interested in the service can take advantage of a seven-day free trial, as opposed to other more restricted job boards, to see what the Jobsite offers.

The service boasts access to around 550 trusted employers who are leaders in their fields, providing carefully vetted job opportunities from reputable sources to progress your career.

Available here via the link, our Jobsite is an expansive library which is just one among many benefits of becoming a Professional Member of the Welding Institute.

Dr Hasan Caglar AWeldI Interim CEng has been announced as this year’s winner of the Richard Dolby - Rolls Royce Award.

The Richard Dolby - Rolls Royce Award is presented biennially by The Welding Institute’s Young Members’ Committee. A cash prize of £1,000 is awarded to any young Member (under 35 years of age) that can show success and enthusiasm for welding, joining and/or materials engineering at an early stage in their career. Hasan won the award for his presentation on debonding of carbon fibre veil interleaved adhesively bonded GFRP joints via Joule heating. A panel of judges from Rolls Royce (Professor Gary Jones), TWI (Dr Paul Woollin), the Younger Members’ Committee (Matt Haslett), and Richard Dolby himself assessed the finalists for the award on 3 July 2024.

Hasan has a BSc from Ozyegin University in Istanbul, an MSc from Koc University in Istanbul, and a PhD from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He was previously employed as a Project Leader at TWI Cambridge and is currently working at Cranfield University as a Research Fellow.

Members will have the opportunity to recognise Hasan’s achievement at the Annual Conference in Cambridge on 16 October.

To register for a place at the Conference please click here.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has emphasised the significance of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices in the engineering industry. The report, published in partnership with Dalberg Advisors, demonstrates how prioritising EDI can drive business success, sustainable growth, and competitiveness. It highlights the benefits of EDI across people, products, partners, and processes, and recommends collaboration and leadership-driven strategies.

The research report provides compelling evidence, actionable insights, and accessible case stories to demonstrate the benefits of EDI for businesses and how it helps engineering firms of all sizes succeed. Companies that advance EDI have greater access to capital, agreements, and collaborations.

You can find out more on the EDI Engine report here: https://raeng.org.uk/edi-engine

As part of our celebrations for the International Women in Engineering Day 2024, we would like to remember the great achievement of one of our Professional Members and a Member of our Professional Board and a dedicated volunteer, Veronica Warner. Veronica is the Chief Welding Engineer based at Babcock International’s Devonport facility in Plymouth, and in November 2023 she became the first woman to win the EWF Best European Welding Coordinator!

The award was presented at EWF’s Annual General Assembly held in November 2023 in Lisbon demonstrating Veronica’s skills and determination in delivering the responsibilities of a Welding Coordinator in accordance with standards such as ISO 3834, EN 15085 or EN 1090.

This year’s theme for INWED24 is “Enhanced by Engineering” and Veronica has demonstrated her ability to combine academic learning and experience within the workplace to translate that knowledge into efficient processes which can enhance the outcome and quality of businesses.

Veronica is not only a competent engineer, but is also keen to aid in the development of others which is demonstrated via engagement with STEM activities and indeed via her volunteer contributions to The Welding Institute as just a couple of examples.

In addition to her position as head of department in Babcock's Welding and Non-Destructive Testing department, Veronica engages in these educational and supportive endeavours with an openness, empathy, and passion for her work that has earned her respect in industry.

For these reasons, we wanted to highlight Veronica’s achievement as part of our celebrations for International Women in Engineering Day 2024 and we send Veronica our best wishes moving forward.

David Wrathmall was appointed as the interim Chief Executive of The Welding Institute Group as of 29 April, 2024.

A graduate of University College London and a Chartered Management Accountant, David has held c-level positions with broad operational remits over the past 16 years. These positions, which were held across Europe and in emerging markets, included those at internationally listed companies in digital technologies, telecoms, financial services, and the research and education sectors.

Having been an active member of The Welding Institute Council and Chair of the Audit Committee, David has knowledge and experience of The Welding Institute Group activities and the challenges of recent years, such as navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to internal restructuring and the recent strategic sale of land owned by The Welding Institute Group.

David brings experience of SME, corporate, publicly-funded, and membership-based organisations. He has experience in delivering cross-border organisational restructuring programmes, including mergers and acquisitions, and is keen to focus on key issues to ensure the sustainability of the Group while capturing the needs of as many Members as possible.

He explained, “Having invested three years into The Institute as a member of Council, I feel a commitment to assisting staff, our Members and the Council itself. I am delighted to have the opportunity to meet the challenges to ensure we provide value and make the Group more efficient and sustainable in managing and meeting the expectations of our Members.”

Although David’s position as interim Chief Executive is for a minimum period of six months, he recognises the sustainability of The Welding Institute Group is a long-term matter. However, during the interim, he is determined to make the right decisions regarding the Group’s future direction and investment to ensure a sustainable entity that can navigate the shifting sands of business, government and industry. Of course, this external focus will include finding opportunities that can be realised in the short term, while building for a long-term future.

Meeting the technological needs of Members is just a part of this mission, which will also encompass international training through TWI to help industry address global skills shortages in welding, joining and allied technologies.

Allying research and support services for industry with career support, training and advancement for professionals, David said that he is going to work to help Members feel closer to The Welding Institute and TWI Ltd, through a stable and supportive working environment for staff.

John Hill, TWI’s Director of Technology, has been recognised for his services to SMEs, to the research institutes sector, to local economic development and to higher education, in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

John has been awarded an OBE following a career spanning 10 years in manufacturing, 30 in research institutes and 5 in central and local government.

John joined PERA, the Production Engineering Research Association, in 1988 as a Chartered Engineer, specialising in engineering polymers and composites. There he rose to become its Director of Technology in 2000 and its Chief Executive in 2008. In the 90s he built an international network of research institutes focused on helping thousands of small firms to innovate, providing the money and the scientific expertise for them to develop hundreds of innovative new products. Later, between 2000 and 2015, he developed management techniques for helping small firms grow faster and for longer, piloting these first in the East Midlands, then establishing a national small firm growth coaching programme. This went on to help 20,000 small firms accelerate their growth, creating 75,000 jobs.

He then spent a spell in Government, first in Whitehall responsible for increasing exports from small firms nationally, then as Director of Business & Skills for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Metro-Mayor. There he saw the challenges facing his home city, Peterborough, a higher education “cold spot” with only 32 per cent of the population having degree level qualifications, compared to a national average of 43 per cent. Peterborough also ranks 191st out of 324 local authority districts for social mobility, with Fenland ranked 319th. To help tackle this, he developed an idea to improve education and skills in the city especially designed to help solve the problem. To make it a reality, he overcame the obstacles that for 20 years had prevented the establishment of a university in the city and within 30 months had gathered together a wide range of partners to help raise £80m to build what has become the multi-award-winning [1]  ARU Peterborough.

He has served as both Director of Membership and Director of Technology at TWI since 2022.

Upon hearing the news John commented, “I am incredibly humbled to have been recognised in this way, and much of the credit goes to the many inspiring and dedicated colleagues I’ve had the privilege to work with along the way. Across my thirty years in the research institute sector, I’ve been constantly in awe of the brilliance and innovation of the individuals and teams I’ve worked with. Equally in the public sector, I’ve been amazed by the capacity for compassion and the readiness to come together to help change life chances and opportunity for others.”

David Wrathmall, TWI’s Interim Chief Executive Officer said, “TWI’s Members and staff congratulate John on this award and we are very pleased to have someone with his experience and achievements as part of our management team. He has been with us for only a brief time, but has made a big impression, and already helped us transition our Technology business from a long period of losses into profit, grown our sales and deepened our engagement with our Members."

Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough commented, “Huge congratulations to John for this honour which is a fitting testament to his exceptional contributions over a distinguished career spanning nearly five decades. His hard work and pioneering approach has not only stimulated growth and job creation but have also made a significant impact on skills development and regeneration, particularly here in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. His passion for this region is clear and we look forward to seeing even more fantastic achievements in the future.”

Professor Ross Renton, Principal of ARU Peterborough commented, “I extend my congratulations to John for his well-deserved recognition in the Honours List. He has played an instrumental role in helping to realise the decades-long ambition to establish a university for Peterborough. Since opening to students in 2022, ARU Peterborough has gone from strength to strength, and this award is a fitting honour for the hard work and dedication shown by John in helping to raise skills levels across the region. It has been a pleasure to work with John as part of the partnership team who have been delivering this multi-award-winning university.”

 

([1]  Recent award won by ARU linked to ARU Peterborough; University of the Year, UK Social Mobility Awards 2023, Winner of the University Impact Initiative of the Year Award, AUDE 2023, Shortlisted for Higher Education Project, AJ Architecture Awards 2023, Shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community, THE Awards 2023 Regional Finalist, Civic Trust Awards 2024.)