As we are nearing the end of 2020, now seems an opportune time to reflect on the never faltering support of our volunteers, even during such a difficult year, which has seen many households affected in one way or another. As an Institute, we would like to highlight the impact our volunteers have had both in the UK and globally, including their incredible support in ensuring our services have been able to continue with minimal impact whilst all getting used to the new normal of virtual systems, which were previously face-to-face experiences.

With the support of our volunteers, we have managed to keep all of our application processes running throughout the year with virtual assessments all conducted via a steep learning curve. Our Professional Review interviews have moved online with great success and have enabled more than 75 new candidates to progress to professional registration. We are very fortunate to have nearly 50 Professional Review volunteers who are happy to donate their time, experience and knowledge to support both new and current Members across the world. The success of the Institute in servicing our Members and recruiting new ones, very much depends on the contributions given by our volunteers who really are the backbone of most things we do.

A great example of the dedication often found with our volunteers, can be illustrated by our longstanding Member Paul Jordinson CEng FWeldI who is standing down after 30 years of service to The Welding Institute as a volunteer, during which he has sat on Council, Professional Board and has chaired the Membership, Education and Registration Committee, whilst also providing valuable support to professional review activities. Paul’s history as a Member is exemplary for what we as an Institute aim to achieve, from joining as an Associate, advancing to Technician, then to Incorporated Member, followed by Senior Member, to finally being awarded Fellowship status in 2007, a title that he has and continues to uphold outstandingly. Paul’s experience of progressing through The Welding Institute serves as a truly inspirational journey for all of our Members and highlights the value that we aim to continually offer to all of our Members. Paul’s support through his voluntary work reflects the value he has been able to also offer to other Members throughout his membership journey and, for this, the Institute is incredibly grateful!

Could you fill his shoes? Get in touch to find out more and, if you’re interested, do join our next online training session on 24 February 2021.

Our volunteers conduct a large variety of roles, from scrutinising applications from new Members, working with universities and colleges to ensure suitable welding content is upheld within relevant qualifications and participating in branch networks to educational outreach and much more. It is safe to say that, much like our values as a professional engineering institution, our volunteers all share the common passion of imparting their own knowledge for the benefit of other professionals. We are incredibly grateful for their continued dedication and support.

On behalf of The Welding Institute and all of its Members, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers for their continued support and unwavering efforts as we look forward to what next year brings!

The Welding Institute