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Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide acknowledgement of the challenges, misconceptions and stereotypes around neurological differences.

The aim of this week is to change the perspective of how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by schools, organisations and people all around the world - providing an opportunity to recognise the skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals. In addition to this, Neurodiversity Celebration Week aims to help create an inclusive and equitable culture that celebrates differences and empowers.

As part of the week, we would like to highlight Melissa Riley!

Dr Melissa Riley BMedSci CEng FIMMM FWeldI, holds a degree in B.Med.Sc. (Biomaterials) and Schottlander Prize for Biomaterials from Medicine and Dentistry from the University of Birmingham, as well as a PhD in ‘The Use of Magnets in Medicine and Dentistry’ from the University of Birmingham. Melissa joined The Welding Institute in 2023 and currently works as a Consultant in the Surface Engineering Team, part of the Metallic Materials and Integrity Group at TWI Ltd. Melissa has dyslexia and dyspraxia and challenges stigmas by acknowledging how neurodiversity has supported her career.

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I didn’t set out to do engineering and have found my way into it! As a child, I was always interested in science, geography, nature, and aeroplanes, and my career aspirations varied somewhat growing up! However, by age 14, I’d set my sights on doing medicine, having been inspired by my local GPs from an early age, but also as a result of the Kegworth Air Disaster, which occurred very close to where I grew up around the time I was choosing my GCSE subjects. I then did three science A-levels, before enrolling on a multidisciplinary B.Med.Sc (Biomaterials) degree, taught between Medicine and Dentistry, and Metallurgy and Materials. This enabled me to work to my dyslexic strengths, and utilise a broad range of science and engineering skills, something that I continue to do in my current role (the bonus is that I now get to work on aerospace technologies too!). After my undergrad degree, I did a PhD in the use of magnetic materials in medicine and dentistry, before working on PVD and CVD coatings for orthopaedics, and then joining TWI Ltd.

Day to day I am involved in the development and characterisation of thermal sprayed materials and other coating technologies for a wide range of industrial applications. I have also been instrumental in the development of TWI Ltd’s surface engineering facilities to enable industry focussed, applied R&D at higher TRL/MRL scales for TWI Ltd Industrial Members, including high profile projects relating to upscaling / manufacturing development of coatings on composites. I am a committee member of the UK Thermal Spraying and Surface Engineering Association and BSI STI/040 Thermal Spraying and Thermally Sprayed Coatings Committee.

Over the past 25 years or so, I’ve been involved in developing coatings for hip and knee replacements, high performance engines, preventing high temperature corrosion in biomass and waste to energy plants, and assessing coatings for protecting composite aircraft from lightning strikes. More recent projects include developing advanced coatings for radar applications. For me, the big motivation comes from solving engineering challenges, making a difference and adding value. I can’t think of any other career that enables people to have such a broad range of pathways and opportunities to follow, and I’m never really sure what’s around the corner!

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

Having worked at TWI Ltd for approaching 20 years, I thought it was about time I joined! I also wanted to have greater oversight of technology areas outside surface engineering and expand my network. Membership of The Welding Institute has enabled me to do that, as well as providing recognition of my role at TWI Ltd.

Tell us a bit about the process of becoming a Member of The Welding Institute:

I joined as an Associate initially and then applied for Fellowship. I had two sponsors, both FWeldI, and then had to fill out a CV, check my CPD records were up-to-date, and write a justifying case study related to the Fellow requirements. It was a useful exercise to acknowledge my achievements and ensure my CPD records were up-to-date.

What was the process of Professional Registration like and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

For me this was important as I did a Medical Science degree and I wanted to achieve recognition in the engineering field. I registered through the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining as I was an Associate with them at the time and it was closest to my experience. I was also awarded Professional Membership (MIMMM) at the same time, and I have since been awarded FIMMM. Professional registration is important as it also covers topics outside your core technology area.

How has professional membership/registration helped you throughout your career?

Professional membership/registration has been really important in acknowledging skillsets to our Industrial Members. It also reminds me to keep looking forward, learning and keep up-to-date with my CPD, as well as expanding my network of contacts.

What are your core involvements with The Welding Institute, what do they entail and why do you undertake them?

I am a mentor at TWI Ltd and have also contributed to The Welding and Joining Matters Journal. I have also presented at The Welding Institute’s events and am a committee member of the UK Thermal Spraying and Surface Engineering Association and BSI STI/040 Thermal Spraying and Thermally Sprayed Coatings Committee

What membership benefits do you use the most and find the most helpful and why?

The range of talks available is useful to raise awareness of topics outside my core competencies.

How has The Welding Institute supported you?

The Welding Institute has given me opportunities to present on the topic of neurodiversity. I was really proud to be able to present at the 100 Year Anniversary event back in 2023, having worked at TWI Ltd for over 20 years. I have since attended Branch meetings and also presented to TWI Ltd’s Industrial Members on the same topic.

How has your neurodiversity supported your career?

I was a late diagnosis for dyslexia and dyspraxia: I only had a screening test after my PhD and a full assessment aged 40, despite my challenges at school, university and in the workplace! Looking back, my neurodiversity has given me an advantage when studying for my degree, which was multidisciplinary and taught between Medicine and Dentistry, and Metallurgy and Materials. Being dyslexic I was able to join the dots between the medical and dental side with the metallurgy and materials. I think my dyslexic thinking (an approach to problem solving, assessing information, and learning, often used by people with dyslexia, that involves pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking and interpersonal communication) has been a huge help in my career. I never know what enquiries we may get from our Industrial Members, or where they will lead, and the ability to think laterally is of huge benefit. Being able to say ‘I don’t know’ and go and find someone who does, or be curious to find out the answers, is a huge help in solving engineering challenges. Having a sense of humour and the ability to keep persevering is also key.

What strengths has your neurodiversity provided you?

Being able to see the big picture and think outside the box: I tend to be quite innovative in identifying industrial needs within my technology area, which has opened up new opportunities for our team. I have also led a lot of the development of TWI Ltd’s surface engineering facilities to enable industry focussed, applied R&D at higher TRL/MRL scales for TWI Ltd’s Members. I am constantly thinking about what comes next or what things link up to create new opportunities! It’s also helpful to be able to simplify things when looking at the big picture and I find this is a useful skill when looking at future strategy and systems thinking.

How do you embrace your neurodiversity?

I am quite open about my neurodiversity as I think it helps others to know that they are not alone in thinking differently. It’s important for people to recognise their strengths and be able to work to them as part of a team. I have given a few presentations about the topic of neurodiversity to raise awareness of both the challenges and the strengths that neurodiverse individuals can bring. Embracing neurodiversity creates a culture where individuals can feel comfortable being themselves and provides a unique combination of perspectives, inspiring creativity and innovation towards the collective goal. It also provides increased diversity in skills, ways of thinking and approaches to problem solving for increased competitive advantage and talent retention.

What are some challenges that you have faced because of your neurodiversity?

My short term working memory means that mental arithmetic is challenging: I always need pen and paper! Concentration and focus can also be an issue so a quiet working space is important. Other than that, communication between neurodiverse individuals and neurotypicals can be a challenge as they don’t think and operate in the same way. I have been fortunate to have a great mentor for much of my career who has always encouraged me to work to my strengths and has been a huge help in helping me recognise them instead of comparing myself to others. Managers can also make a big difference. It’s why I think it’s important to raise awareness so that we can tap into an individual’s strengths within teams: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think it’s important to also be able to ask for help where you need it too, be that assistive technologies or other reasonable adjustments. For example, I use mind mapping software for project management as it’s more visual than traditional project management tools and it makes life so much easier. It also helps communicate my thinking. The right support is out there if you need it.

What are your engineering aspirations?

Surface Engineering is a key manufacturing technology in the UK with manufacturers with over £11 billion in business playing a key role in producing over £140 billion of products. The impact of surface engineering and the integration between surfaces is huge, and can transform the durability of components in many demanding applications. TWI Ltd has been at the forefront of developing surface engineering technologies in many demanding applications and I see us being able to contribute more in the future with our wide range of technologies, characterisation and testing capability. Key areas are the transition away from restricted materials and enhanced protection coatings, barriers and surface treatments as well as the development of new materials and processes to improve or extend the performance of materials. Personally, I would like to play a key role in expanding our services to industry to support the development of surface engineering technologies in industrial applications, particularly in aerospace and defence where there are new prospects on the horizon relating to NetZero and other demanding applications.

What advice would you give or what would you say to your younger self beginning your career in engineering?

Recognise your strengths and look for opportunities to keep learning and expanding your skillsets to challenge yourself: you never know what the future holds.

We would like to thank Melissa for her kind contribution as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2025, running between 17-23 March 2025.

If you would like to find out more on the week, please find here

World Engineering Day is an international celebration of how engineers, specialists, and technicians make a difference.

This year’s theme is ‘Shaping Our Sustainable Future Through Engineering’. UNESCO and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) will host the World Engineering Day (WED) together at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The event called “Unleashing the Power of Engineers to Advance SDGs,” will bring international leaders, with government officials, industry councils and engineering associations also in attendance.

Focused on the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the event will highlight and champion the fundamental role engineering plays. The event will highlight how engineering’s contributions to sustainable development has changed the industry positively whilst also addressing the gender inequalities in the field, the digital advancements and development of infrastructure.

Find out more on the day

National Careers Week 2025 (NCW25) has returned. This week is all about celebrating careers guidance and resources in education across the UK. NCW25 aims to highlight the importance of career guidance in the academic calendar to support young people leaving education.

Here at The Welding Institute, we support young aspiring engineering career development. The knowledge around the different types of careers there are in engineering and welding is limited. We want to expand younger peoples’ knowledge around such careers and expand their knowledge on the subjects. The Welding Institute’s Younger Members Committee (YMC) is dedicated to engaging younger engineers in a supportive professional network, to encourage and assist their professional and career development. The YMC offers a variety of resources aimed at younger engineers and also holds FREE webinars for anyone at whatever stage in their career.

Discover more about support for students

Read more about the Younger Members Committee

George Young MWeldI CEng is a Fellow Engineer working at Kairos Power LLC with a PhD from the University of Virginia. George joined The Welding Institute in June 2024. He currently is driving the qualification of metallic alloys for use in advanced, salt-cooled reactor systems at Kairos Power. He talks through why he chose a career in engineering, why he became Chartered, and about his future career goals.

Intro to you and your career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering? 

I thought Materials Science was fascinating and if I could make a career out of failure analysis or by breaking metal samples it would be fun – and it is.

What’s one of your biggest career highlights or achievements that you’re most proud of? 

Working on environmental degradation issues and helping to make reactor systems safe and long lived.

What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career and how did you overcome this?  

Public speaking used to be very difficult but a lot of speech therapy for a stutter and a thousand videoconferences later, I probably talk too much now.

Early Professional Membership

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

Initially, I was interested in assessing local vacuum electron beam welding, a technology that TWI Ltd pioneered and then commercialised via Cambridge Vacuum Engineering.  As I worked more in-depth on high temperature reactor issues, it was clear that the UK has tremendous depth and breadth in this field.  The Welding Institute maintains a great corporate knowledge of those challenges and solutions and, by joining The Institute, I gained access to key literature and some great colleagues.

Tell us a bit about the process of becoming a Member of The Welding Institute.

The Institutes’ staff were a great help, as I didn’t appreciate the rigorous process of becoming and maintaining my CEng.

Professional Membership and Registration: CEng

When and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

When my company began to engage with UK businesses, professional registration seemed like a good way to connect with colleagues facing similar technical challenges.

How has Professional Registration as CEng supported you in your career?

The connections and resources associated with being a CEng have been a great help.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of becoming CEng?  

Meeting other technical professionals has been, by far, the best aspect of becoming a CEng.

Current Membership

What are your core involvements with The Welding Institute, what do they entail and why do you undertake them?

To date, I have primarily been involved with the American Welding Society, where I am a Principal Reviewer for the Welding Journal Research Supplement, but look forward to becoming more involved with The Institute and publishing in Welding and Joining Matters.

Which membership benefits do you use the most and find the most helpful and why?

The Institute’s information and knowledge services are fantastic. I’ve found several key welding references that are only available through the Institute.

Future (Membership and Career)

What are your engineering aspirations?

I am at the stage in my career where I would like to help others grow their interest and expertise in Welding Metallurgy and Materials Science.  We all benefit from having a central technical resource like the Institute and seeing them grow and adapt to new industries and technologies is very rewarding.

Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?

Yes, membership with the Institute comes with access to a great group of people, laboratories, and technical resources.

What advice would you give or what would you say to your younger self beginning your career in engineering?

I should have joined the Institute early in my career – it would have helped me make professional contacts and opened-up a wealth of technical resources.

We thank George for his kind contribution as part of Chartered Week, running between 24-28 February 2025.

We would like to invite anyone interested in Chartership at The Welding Institute to visit here.

If you would like to find out more on the week, please find here.

Our Welding and Joining Processes Technical Group (TG2) will be hosting their upcoming online Technical Group webinar from 12:30pm – 2:00pm (UK time) on 29 April 2025.

The webinar, which is titled, ‘Back-to-Basics: Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) ,’ will explore why we need post weld heat treatment (PWHT), concentrating mainly on the heat treatment of carbon manganese and low/medium alloy steels. It will look into the benefits of PWHT, how these benefits are achieved, heat treatment methods and control, relevant specifications and recommended PWHT temperatures for a range of alloys.

Who Should Attend?

Welding engineers, welding apprentices, welding trainees and anyone not familiar with the process.

Speaker and Presentation:

Gene Mathers, Consultant – Back-to-Basics: Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT)

Discover more:
https://www.theweldinginstitute.com/event-6068468

Our Metallic Materials (TG3) Technical Group will be hosting their upcoming Technical Group webinar event, from 9:30am – 3:30pm (UK time) on 24 April, 2025, online (Teams).

The event, which is titled, ‘Titanium: Applications and Processes,’ will cover the basics of titanium, the specific requirements in how to handle and weld it to achieve a good quality, and also more niche joining/processing methods.

Who Should Attend?

The event should be of interest to welders, welding engineers, metallurgists, quality engineers in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering and fabrication, space.

Speaker and Presentations:

• Tracey Holmes, Technical and Business Development Manager, Bibus Metals Group, on Unlocking Potential: Industrial Applications of Titanium and its Alloys

• Luke Keane, Director, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques, on Weld Purging for Zero Colour Welds

• David Howse, Technology Fellow - Arc Welding Engineering, TWI Ltd, on Quality Control for Titanium Welding

• Paul Brooker, Manufacturing Support Manager, TWI Ltd, on Thermal Joining of Titanium

• Dr Pedro de Sousa Santos, Senior Project Leader, TWI Ltd, on Linear Friction Welding of Structures for Near-Net Shape Manufacturing 

Discover more: https://theweldinginstitute.com/event-6072506

Chartered Week is an occasion to highlight notable Chartered engineers and professionals and their commitment to raising standards of competency and integrity across society.

Running from 24 to 28 February, this year’s theme, ‘Celebrating Trusted Professionals,’ provides a great opportunity to recognise our Chartered Members and colleagues who are dedicated to upholding the professional standard of their work and industry.

What is Chartered Week?

The week aims to:

• Celebrate the persistent influence of Chartered practice in the world and the Chartered professionals who remain steadfast in their mission to make a difference in their respective fields

• Educate the public on the necessary role that Chartership plays in maintaining rigorous standards of knowledge, skill, performance and leadership

• Advocate and empower people to explore their own Chartered potential and other registration gateways by promoting the value and importance of Chartership

If you are interested in becoming Chartered, please find out more here: https://theweldinginstitute.com/engineering-council

To find out more on Chartered Week: https://www.charteredweek.uk/

It’s National Apprenticeship Week 2025!

National Apprenticeship Week 2025 is here. This week, from 10-16 February, it is all about highlighting apprenticeships and the skills that they provide for a route into a successful and fulfilling career. This year’s theme is ‘Skills for Life’ - whether you are a growing business, changing career or just starting out - it all starts with skills.

The Welding Institute is a proud supporter of apprenticeships and the development of skills to gain a successful career in welding, joining and allied technologies.

For students/ apprentices membership is FREE!

Here at The Welding Institute we have a range of membership benefits that support apprentices with developing their skills:

• TWI Ltd’s Digital Library: 80 years’ worth of TWI Ltd’s technical knowledge and skills

• Technical Group Events: A chance to hear from industry and academic experts

• The Welding and Joining Matters Journal: A quarterly journal, themed around subjects within welding, joining and allied technologies

• Younger Members’ Committee (YMC): A collective of young engineers with a passion for welding and engineering

• Networking: Opportunities to connect with industry experts

• Jobsite:  Created for Members using our unique relationship with TWI Ltd to give you access to 550 trusted and respected companies, allowing you to search a curated list of job vacancies

In addition to our membership benefits supporting skills, we support professional development, which is a learning process aimed at continuous improvement and growth. Through joining Technical Group webinars you can obtain Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points, CPD is a great way to demonstrate your learning and growth to future employers.

Find out more about support for students/apprentices: https://theweldinginstitute.com/Students-Information

Caroline Gumble will join The Welding Institute as CEO on the 7 July 2025.

Since 2019, Caroline has been CEO with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the global professional body for the built environment, leading a widely acknowledged and very successful business transformation.

Before her tenure at CIOB, she had an extensive business transformation career within the engineering industry, both in the UK and overseas.

Business transformation was also the key focus of her tenure at the membership organisation Make UK, formerly known as EEF.

Humbert Mozzi, Chair of The Welding Institute said, ‘We are excited to have Caroline on board from July, she will bring a fresh and dynamic leadership style to the Institute. The Welding Institute has a proud history; Caroline’s arrival gives us a real opportunity to ensure the Institute has a sustainable and relevant future, meeting the needs of our Industrial and Professional Members during a time of fast-paced technological advancement and our increasing responsibilities towards environmentally friendly solutions.’

Caroline studied with The Open University, achieving a BSc (open) in social sciences, whilst developing her career in industry. She was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from The University of Wolverhampton and is a visiting professor with Loughborough University. 

Caroline is a member of the professional bodies CIPD and MIEx and is an FRSA. She serves as a non-executive director of the Board of Trustees for the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade.

Caroline said, ‘I am extremely proud to have accepted this special role. I appreciate and respect The Welding Institute and TWI’s proud heritage; its research really matters for our global technological advancement, benefiting all society. I look forward to working with Professional and Industrial Members from July and leading a highly impressive and talented team.’

For more information and any press enquiries, please email content marketing manager, Thomas Clover at: thomas.clover@twi.co.uk

My career started as an apprentice in 1986 at Air Products’ Acrefair manufacturing facility, Wrexham, North Wales. We built large scale ASUs (air separation units), pressure vessels, pressure pipework, HPNs (high pressure nitrogen generators), skids, PSAs (pressure swing absorbers) and other pressure equipment for the petrochemical industry as well as producing UHP (ultra high purity) systems for the microchip industry.

After my 4-year apprenticeship, I was offered a full time position as a welder. I welded a variety of materials including carbon steel, 9% Ni steel, aluminium, stainless steels and monel. I progressed within the company to become a weld inspector, which allowed me to gain invaluable experience in the QA/QC department. The weld inspector role allowed me to gain other skills, knowledge and understanding of processes such as non-destructive and destructive testing, metallurgical requirements of consumables, traceability of materials, weld procedures, and welder qualifications, as well as gaining internal quality auditing certification.

Sadly, in 2009, it was announced that Air Products was to close the manufacturing facility at Acrefair, which was a real shock and a hammer blow to the great people that worked there. I had a Careers Wales interview to support being made redundant. At that interview, it was suggested that I could consider teaching welding as a possible career path. On the way home from that interview, I bought a local paper which had an advert for a fabrication and welding lecturer at The City of Wolverhampton College. I applied, had an interview and was offered the lecturer position, which was amazing. The college supported me to gain my Cert Ed teaching award. After 3 years at The City of Wolverhampton College, an opportunity arose closer to home at Yale College (now Coleg Cambria after a merger with Deeside College) in Wrexham, and I have been working there ever since.

I still wanted to be involved in the skills competitions at Coleg Cambria. I was originally entering students for the welding, sheet metalwork and construction metalwork competitions. I have always explained to any competitor that it is not all about winning a medal, it’s about stepping out of their ‘comfort zone’. Being able to use their skills and other skills such as time management, reading and understanding drawings, working under pressure and safely, as well as being well prepared and organised before and during the competition. These are skills that are transferable to any workplace, not just welding, fabrication or engineering. These are also skills that employers are looking for in every sector.

Every year, I enter competitors into the Welsh skills competitions, which are organised by Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales (ISEiW), and Worldskills UK national competitions in partnership with Pearson BTEC and Apprenticeships.

In November 2023, an opportunity arose at Worldskills UK for the position of training manager for welding. Essentially, my role is to train and develop the age-aligned competitors who achieve a required standard, from 2024’s welding final to challenge the world’s best welders at Worldskills International in Shanghai in 2026. This challenge is something that I’m really looking forward to, especially after attending last year’s international competition in Lyon, where I gained valuable insights as to what it takes to compete on the world stage. There is also the possibility of competing at Euroskills in September 2025, which will be held in Herning, Denmark. You have to basically think of these competitions like the football World Cup and the Euros, but every two years not four.

Worldskills UK uses international best practice to raise standards in apprenticeships and technical education so more young people and employers succeed. Find out more here.

I am very keen and passionate to spread the word about the SkillWeld competition and its benefits to not only the competitors, but also to employers and to help bridge the skills gap that we’re currently facing. Stephen Haymes who is the Competition Organising Partner for welding and Don Atkinson who is President of the Teeside branch, are organising a meeting here and with other interested parties to discuss how to support myself and to develop ideas on training the next generation of welders for future competitions, such as Shanghai 2026 and Japan 2028.

If you would like to know more about the competitions, want to be involved, or can support the competition in any way, we would love to hear from you.

Please email Carl Parrish here