The Welding Institute’s Branches kicked off their autumn programme of online events in September, with our London Branch delivering the first one.

The London Branch opened the 2021-22 Branch programme of online events on the 9 September with a joint meeting with the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3) titled, ‘Pipelines for Hydrogen: Materials and Welding Issues for New Lines and Re-Use of Existing Lines.’ The event was both held in-person and also live streamed online to a wider audience, with Principal Materials and Welding Engineer at ROSEN, Neil Gallon delivering the talk. London Branch Programme Secretary and Fellow of The Welding Institute, Alan Denney reflected on and highlighted the success of the event, particularly its hybrid nature and therefore ability to reach global audiences. He has created a Hybrid (simultaneous face to face and online events) meeting checklist which he has offered to aid other Branches and is now available for Members to access on our Member's Portal.

The West Midlands Branch were the second to host an event, which focused on, ‘Recognising the Pitfalls that Affect the Testing of Welders’ and was hosted on the 13 September with Director of Weld-Class-Solutions Ltd and Fellow of The Welding Institute, Mark Cozens (CEng FWeldI) delivering the presentation. The talk focused on a number of potential pitfalls that can arise when conducting welder qualification tests (also known as “approval testing” or “welder codings”), which are directly from Mark’s own practical experiences over many years.

The meeting was organised and run by West Midlands Branch Programme Secretary and Chair of The Welding Institute’s Professional Board, Dr Claire Kimpton, with the event gaining positive engagement and feedback from attendees.

The Welding Institute is pleased to hear about the success and positive feedback from both the Branches and event attendees. These events demonstrate how The Welding Institute’s Branches have adapted to deliver events online in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. This has not only allowed the Branches to continue to share knowledge, but also opens up attendance to an even wider audience.

Find all of our upcoming events here.