The British Welding Research Association (BWRA), a predecessor to today’s TWI Ltd, purchased Abington Hall in 1946 for £3850, with the surrounding land becoming the headquarters for both TWI and The Welding Institute.
Before this purchase by the BWRA, the land had been used by the military during the Second World War, with both British and overseas troops being billeted on the site as well as at the nearby village of Abington.
The Bertram family, who had been in residence at the Hall when the war broke out, soon moved to live in Devon during the war years, leaving Mr Raymond Lane in charge as bailiff. Mr Lane himself served in both World Wars, first in the army and then as an RAF plotter based at nearby Duxford.
The Military Arrives
Rumour had started to spread through Abington that the army was going to be stationed in the area and before long, lorries began to arrive and tents were erected in preparation for the arrival of the troops.
The London Irish Rifles Regiment were the first troops to arrive in the area, having walked from Cambridge station after coming back from Dunkirk. They were followed by the Royal Medical Corps, the Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineers, Lancers, Signals, the Canadian troops, Cameron Highlanders, and the Lothian Border Tanks Regiment. The tank regiment parked their tanks down Church Lane in Abington before heading off to join the fighting in the Middle East. The Duke of Gloucester while stationed in the area, where they dammed the river so they could test run their vehicles through three to four foot deep water, inspected the tank regiment.
While the troops found themselves camped out under canvas during the war, the officers were billeted in the Old House and Abington Lodge, as well as at Abington Hall itself. Hetty Pavitt (née Cutter), who lived in the area at the time, recalled delivering newspapers to the officers at Abington Hall, having cycled across the nearby meadows.
In addition, there were a number of Polish soldiers stationed at the Hall and camped in the gardens of the Old House for a short while, who were remembered as being “polite and well liked.” Canadian troops also passed through for a weekend of rest and recuperation, where they played softball and a group of Belgian soldiers also passed through before heading off to help relieve Brussels. Meanwhile, Italian prisoners of war were also put to work in the village and on nearby Grange Farm.
The U.S. 8th Army also spent time stationed in the grounds of Abington Hall ahead of the onset of D Day, with reports saying they enjoyed drinking in the local pubs – The Railway Inn at Pampisford, The Princess of Wales and The Crown. The Three Tuns pub in Abington was, however, the preserve of the officers in the area.
The Crown pub also acted as the section HQ for the local Home Guard, who manned a gun point to defend a bridge behind the Old House, while England cricketer Frank Woolley commanded an RAF searchlight battery at the park.
The War and the Local Community
Aside from the many troops who were stationed at and around the Hall, there were a number of incidents that impacted the local community. Air raid shelters were erected in the gardens of local people and there are reports of a bomb landing on the bridge between Great and Little Abington, another striking the road at the entrance to Abington Hall and a third bomb landing on the nearby North Road. Fortunately nobody was hurt by these bombs, but V1 and V2 rockets were sighted overhead by villagers.
Of course, a number of men went to fight in the war – joining the RAF, army and the Royal Navy, some of whom lost their lives while fighting. The local GP, Dr Wilson, also did his bit locally, training the Red Cross in first aid.
Clearing the Site
At the end of the war, the site was initially cleared by the Royal Pioneer Corps before a small group were formed to continue this work. Mr Tom Patten was released from his military service in November 1945 and joined this group to clear the site on June 1946 as the BWRA moved into Abington Hall.
Of course, as mentioned above, some of the army buildings were repurposed for use by the BWRA while other items, such as a searchlight battery on the site, were decommissioned. The upper floors of the Hall were converted into flats and the history of TWI and The Welding Institute at Abington near Cambridge had begun.
TWI Ltd has launched its Digital Library, a new platform that will connect Professional Members of The Welding Institute to more than 80 years of TWI’s unique technical knowledge.
A state-of-the-art Member-only knowledge discovery platform that searches across multiple repositories to bring you the right information when you need it.
Thousands of newly digitised reports, papers, conference proceedings and journals that, until now, have been archived and inaccessible to many Members.
Members also benefit from access to Scholarly OneSearch which takes you beyond TWI’s collections.
All existing technical content such as Members’ Reports, Job Knowledge, FAQs and e-books is included too. When fully populated, the TWI Digital Library will provide a single point of access to over 20,000 items on all aspects of welding and joining, materials performance, integrity management and inspection.
Access the TWI Digital Library and select the 'Professional Member Login' option.
Ibrahim Nuruddin Katsina CEng SenMWeldI is currently a deputy manager of mechanical piping and pipelines at (NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company) NGIC, NNPC Ltd. With a undergraduate degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at AB Zaria in Nigeria, he then went on to achieve his Masters at Cranfield University in Welding Engineering, leading him to pursue and attain a PhD, specialising in oil and gas pipeline welding and infrastructure from Cranfield University.
When did you join The Welding Institute?
I joined The Welding Institute in 2008 after completing my exam for the GradWeldI grade in 2009, then became a Member
Please describe your current job role and responsibilities:
Now, I am focusing on gas infrastructure at NNPC Ltd as well as being responsible for pipeline infrastructure: building, maintenance, project management and pipelines integrity. I also manage my team and facilitate projects, i.e. design and implementation. Finally yet importantly, I oversee safety and standardisation with my team and the projects we work on.
Why did you choose a career in engineering?
When I was a schoolchild, I used to go to my uncle’s company ITEC Nigeria Ltd and work there during the summers; this is where my interest began. He was my role model, may his gentle soul rest in peace.
What’s one of your biggest career highlights or achievements that you’re most proud of?
When I was first starting out, as a young entrepreneur with little to no capital, I started a welding workshop. Within my first year, I built it into an established company.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome this?
I was managing a project and there were some instructions given to a new welder to follow a procedure. He failed to follow the instructions well which in turn led to expensive damages of a valve. This led to my team having to think very quickly on the spot to fix the issues caused.
Another challenge that I had to face was linked to my workshops. A construction company approached me to manufacture over a thousand windows and burglary proofs, and hundreds of handrails and balustrades. The time frame was the challenge; they needed all of these in 4 weeks. I took on the challenge and it became one of the biggest challenges at that young age. I had to manage hundreds of people and subcontract part of the work in order to achieve the set target, but we delivered the last pieces on the last day!
Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?
I found out about The Welding Institute through an Institute talk and I became interested and came to Great Abington, Cambridge. I thought it would be the right place to gain knowledge and experience.
Tell us a bit about the process of becoming a Member of The Welding Institute:
I first joined as a Student Member. Then I later pursued a PhD, at this stage I applied for a Senior Member I went through the Professional review interview process.
Are you professionally registered?
Yes, I became a Chartered Engineer at the same time as applying for Senior Member.
What was the process of Professional Registration like and why did you choose to become professionally registered?
After my first professional review interview with The Welding Institute, I was informed that I needed more experience and therefore, I pursued more work to aid my professional development.
How has professional membership/registration helped you throughout your career?
I believe Professional Membership is important and it gives prestige, knowledge and value to your career . An example of how professional registration aided my career was in that when I applied for a job, they noticed I hold CEng and SenMWeldI status and therefore a better job offer was made of becoming a manager. This demonstrated the value that employers hold of being professionally registered.
What membership benefits do you use the most and find the most helpful and why?
The Welding and Joining Matters Journal, the technical talks and webinars as well as the Branch events.
What current volunteer roles do you undertake?
I volunteered for The Welding Institute events such as Welding with Chocolate. I found this to be an insightful experience being able to work with inquisitive minds. I also became a Professional Board Member as well as becoming an assessor for those applying for CEng registration. This role entails me conducting professional review interview for candidates.
Why do you undertake these volunteer roles and what are the benefits of volunteering with The Welding Institute?
It feels good to give back and to be able to teach engineering to younger minds. It is also rewarding to have the ability to help others applying to become CEng and for Professional Members. I love being able to give back to institutions that have helped in building me and my career.
What advice would you give to anyone considering, or even currently undertaking volunteer roles with The Welding Institute?
I will always advise young engineers that volunteer roles give you many advantages and experiences as well as being able to connect with mentors and likeminded peers. This in turn leads you to be able to build relationships for the future. Always volunteer with an open mind as well so that you’re able to learn more each time.
What are your engineering aspirations?
I hope to become a Fellow of the Institutes I am a part of as well as to continue developing my career. But for now, my current goal is to understand my new role and to get used to it.
Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?
I do recommend it, as can be seen with when I was offered a better job offer once they learned that I held CEng and Senior Member status. The added benefits of networking are immeasurable.
What advice would you give or what would you say to your younger self beginning your career in engineering?
Either remove the you, ot change the last sentense top value to your career.
Fellow CEng Alan Gifford worked for International Combustion Ltd, a major engineering business based at Derby offering products for the nuclear engineering industry, for over 40 years.
With 2023 marking the 100th anniversary of The Welding Institute, Alan sent us an excerpt from International Combustion Ltd’s house magazine, ‘The Peak.’
The excerpt, from a 1959 issue of the magazine, was written by section leader John Adams and dates from a time when the company’s welding department had just appointed their first welding engineer, E.K. Keefe.
While Mr Keefe’s role would be taken over by Alan around 18 months later, John Adams recognised the importance of welding to International Combustion’s future enterprises so attended a course run by The Institute of Welding at Princes gate in London.
Following the course, John visited The British Welding Research Association (BWRA - a forerunner to today’s TWI) at Abington near Cambridge.
It was here that he was shown around the laboratories and was given the chance to see the welding process of metals, which he enjoyed.
It was this visit that formed the basis for John’s article in the Peak, which included details of research being carried out at the time and the importance of the work of the BWRA.
He also highlighted some confidential research work on ‘Sno Cats,’ which were tracked vehicles used for a transantarctic expedition. The BWRA were asked to test the tracks following their failure and found that the welds had been “made without the necessary control over welding conditions,” going on to note that, “none of the welds failed” after the BWRA had machined out the original joins and re-welded them under strict metallurgical control.
John’s article also highlighted the importance of the work of the BWRA at the time given the absence of instruction in welding technology at universities and technical colleges, adding that, “it is left to industrial firms to provide this training, but the British Welding Research Association are investigating the formation of a new design advisory service.”
The article shows how the Institute and BWRA were proving influential for industry at the time, and you can read the article as forwarded by Fellow CEng Alan Gifford, in full, below:
Jade White BEng Hons, CEng, MWeldI, EWE, IWE joined The Welding Institute over a decade ago and has led a fulfilling career thus far, having appeared on the WES (Women’s Engineering Society) Top 50 Women in Engineering List and advocating for increased access to engineering for women throughout her career.
Jade talks us through why she chose a career in engineering, her Membership with The Welding Institute, her advice to her younger self, and more.
Over 10 years ago.
Please describe your current job role and responsibilities/a typical day in your role:
I am a Welding Engineer; in a typical day, I review welding procedures and offer technical advice on welding and fabrication to various projects on site.
I was exposed to engineering as a potential career with a good salary from a young age, having grown up in Barrow-in-Furness, with companies such as BAE and Sellafield Ltd on my doorstep
Appearing on the WES Top 50 Women in Engineering List was a wonderful achievement and I felt honoured to have been picked alongside fellow females in successful engineering careers.
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career and how did you overcome this?
Returning to work full time after having my children, but this has been supported with agile and flexible working arrangements, I believe this support is crucial for working parents.
It was suggested as part of my CPD and performance management with my employer.
I used the TWI website to guide me to the required documents to be completed. I then contacted the TWI Membership service department for further guidance concerning interviews.
When and why did you choose to become professionally registered?
As well as being encouraged by my employers to gain this status, I believed it was important to be recognised by my peers, for recognition of competence, commitment and evidence of expertise.
How has Professional Registration as CEng supported you in your career?
Since becoming a Professional Member I have benefitted from internal promotions in my current job role. The requirement to keep on top of continuing professional development (CPD) has helped provide a body of evidence of my achievements. CPD also helps me to identify areas of improvement, which in turn support my performance management agreement with my employer.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of becoming CEng and MWeldI?
Being asked to join the TWI Professional Board.
What are your core involvements with The Welding Institute, what do they entail and why do you undertake them?
I was a Member of the TWI Professional Board, and was asked to join after the board watched a BBC news article I filmed addressing the topic of females in engineering roles. I try to attend as many groups or seminars that are relevant to my job role as possible, however due to location this sometimes proves quite difficult.
Which Membership benefits do you use the most and find the most helpful and why?
Training and seminars to help with CPD.
I aim to continue adding to my professional development and experience in my role as a welding subject matter expert (SME) for Sellafield Ltd.
Yes, I believe it demonstrates a professional attitude and can also lead to improved career prospects and employability.
Take all available opportunities to gain experience and talk to people already in engineering careers to discover different pathways. Apply for training schemes offered by large companies (i.e. Degree Apprenticeships, Graduate Schemes, and Industrial Summer Internships). Choose STEM subjects at A Level and degree level.
The Finniston Report (also known as ‘The Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Engineering Profession’ or by its title, ‘Engineering Our Future’) nearly changed how the engineering profession operated in the UK with regards to professional institutions.
Commissioned in 1979 by the then Labour government’s Department of Trade and Industry, the report was a reaction to the dissatisfaction felt by the engineering industry to the Council of Engineering Institutions (CEI).
Industrialist, Monty Finniston was tasked with canvassing opinion from 100 of Britain’s engineering firms as well as visiting Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, The Netherlands, Sweden, the United States, and West Germany to assess their approach to the profession. In the end, the committee’s 17 members only visited 33 UK engineering firms whose opinions were not included in the report as they were deemed confidential. However, the international investigations found that the status of engineers was higher in these countries than in the UK. Finniston’s findings also found that the state was involved in the registration of engineers in all of the international countries, unlike in the UK, where it was handled by private institutions.
Finniston’s remit also included a review of how well professional institutions and the CEI were meeting the needs of engineers and technicians, along with the role played by institutions in educating and regulating their members.
The report was also asked to consider whether the statutory regulation and licensing of engineers – as was the case in other nations – would be beneficial to the engineering industry in the UK.
The investigations were carried out in the light of concerns over a shortage of engineers in industry and a demographic decline in the number of 18-year-olds who could enter the profession in the early 1980s.
The outcome of the Finniston Report was of interest to The Welding Institute at the time as we sought affiliation with the CEI. In addition, The Institute was among the bodies that were asked to submit evidence and opinions to the Finniston Inquiry.
In October 1977 a working group was created to prepare the Institute’s evidence, as shown by the minutes from a Welding Institute Professional Board meeting on 26th October where it was decided to send, “factual information concerning its constitution and activities together with opinions on the various points covered by the Inquiry’s terms of reference.”
The earliest throughts from the Board included those of board member, Dr Nichols who, “said that he thought the advantages of limited registration and licensing greatly outweighed the disadvantages and the Professional Board agreed to recommend to Mr Gallagher’s Working Group to reply to this effect.”
However things were not entirely clear-cut as, “Mr Boyd said that a related problem was that the Technician Engineer and Technician Boards of the ERB, on which he was the Institute’s representative, were also being asked to make submissions to the Committee of Inquiry,” with meeting notes showing, “it appeared that the Technician Engineer Board was on the whole disenchanted with its experience of working in an organisation ultimately controlled by the CEI and would be recommending that the ERB be set up as a totally independent organisation with its own Royal Charter. However, it did not appear that the Technician Board would share this view and The Welding Institute could clearly not support two conflicting policies.”
While these conflicting views were considered, a Professional Member Survey was circulated to, “secure a picture of the way in which the classes of membership are distributed in respect of job function,” adding, “provision was made for comment on the objectives of the Finniston Inquiry as an alternative to the framing of specific questions or propositions. It was considered that comment so rendered could be given more weight than a ‘yes/no’ or ‘for/ against’ vote.”
As a result Members ranging from apprentices to Technology Fellows were invited to offer their opinions on the Finniston Inquiry. There was a good number of respondents to the request, with the findings offering a good snapshot of the thoughts and concerns of The Welding Institute’s Members at the time.
A February 1978 report collated the findings, determining that, “the strongest thread in the web of arguments submitted concerned the current lack of status for the industrial engineer, expressed in terms of salary (compared with overseas engineers, and with the non-engineering professions), significance of title and public esteem. This is held to affect the manufacturing sector in particular, spokesmen for which believe that their counterparts in public service or consultancy are more generously accommodated. There would be considerable support for the concept that engineers be rewarded commensurately with the wealth they create.”
The February 1978 report continued, “There is concern that whereas professionalism is equated with institution membership and is thus allied to academic attainment, the academic preparation of the engineer is inadequate for the demands of modern practice, especially in the field of welding technology. In this respect both the teaching syllabus and the quality of student intake were mentioned in the unfavourable sense.”
However, the report continued, “On the other hand the need for the Welding Institute to secure CEI affiliation is quite widely urged. The end result is generally seen as beneficial to the recognition of welding technology and the standing of Professional Members. The latter point was sharply defined by those working for employers who give credit for chartered status in their career structure. That this implies open acceptance of the associated academic level is much less certain; perhaps not all of the implications of affiliation are fully understood.”
Registration of engineers was also discussed in the findings, as the report noted, “There is considerable interest for the registration of engineers, most often mentioned in regard to public safety but, perhaps, also held as an additional means of establishing status. One comment made the critical point that it would be essential to define the technical reasons for each particular case for which registration was advocated, so that requisite knowledge could be stated.”
But this did not mean that the findings were unanimous, as the report revealed, “Another submission, however, argued eloquently against the setting up of registration/licensing as a government operation; seen to be doomed to bureaucratic muddle, injustice and unnecessary expense. There was more than a hint of awareness that individual subscriptions would be augmented by further outgoings, to add to the union subscription which Members were paying ‘because of the failure of institutions to uphold professional status.’ Nonetheless, institution control of registration would be looked for.”
There also seemed to be a sense of dislocation between higher management and welding engineers at the time, with the report showing, “Higher management appreciation of the work of the welding engineer drew some criticism, although possibly less than might have been expected. Those not in the direct line of management can feel a sense of isolation, but more general misgiving concerns the lack of encouragement for qualification. One comment, obviously based on broad knowledge, referred to a parallel situation in respect of welding technicians; it was suggested that few who had made the effort to obtain the City and Guilds 265 welding technicians certificate had been able to secure advancement to technician level.”
Finniston’s Inquiry had also asked for thoughts on recruitment, with The Welding Institute finding that, “Industrial difficulties with the quality of recruitment intake were, however, acknowledged. This was said to affect apprenticeships and entry to the design office, and retraining schemes were thought to be producing an unwelcome dilution of skill.”
The report concluded, “Finally, while the overall burden of comment supported the notion that institutions should be highly influential in the sphere of qualification and professional standards, the more radical view that these matters needed a new approach was also clearly expressed. This was linked with the suggestion that the terms of reference of the Finniston Committee were too restrictive.”
The thoughts of the membership were collected and submitted to Finniston’s Committee of Inquiry along with details of membership regulations, the 1976 annual report, details of training courses, and publications. A Professional Board meeting on 16 March 1978 saw Dr R D Johnston comment that he “felt that the Institute had put forward an extremely well presented submission, though it had to be remembered that it would be one of many to be considered by the Finniston Committee.”
The collection of views from The Welding Institute’s Members was not just of benefit to the Finniston Inquiry, as noted by Professional Board Chairman of the time, Mr FW Copleston, who believed that, “the Finniston Inquiry had provided more information and facts than had been available before,” adding, “It would be desirable to review the whole activity of the Institute in the light of this information and he suggested that senior officers be asked to prepare… documents concerning likely developments in education, training and membership over the next 5 years.”
The final report from the Finniston Inquiry was delivered seven months late (on 16 November 1979) due to the volume of evidence that had to be considered (and dissent among committee members), eventually being published by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in January 1980.
The final report actually recommended that the CEI be abolished and replaced by a new statutory Engineering Authority. This was deemed necessary by Finniston as the CEI had failed to promote engineering adequately or influence UK policy, as well lacking a central purpose for its members. Some CEI members felt that it was too slow to implement change as many decisions required the unanimous consent of all 16 members.
Finniston felt that the new Engineering Authority should assume the responsibility of regulating admission and membership from the individual institutions and that membership grades should be aligned to the educational level of members, corresponding to higher national certificate, bachelor’s degrees and master’s degree levels. Finniston also criticised the level of education offered by British universities when compared to those in Western Europe, recommending that specific engineering degrees were introduced (BEng and MEng) as a foundation for chartered status.
The submission of Finniston’s report was not the end of The Welding Institute’s involvement as we were invited to offer comments on the findings. A meeting was called on 31 January 1980 to “prepare the Institute’s comments on the report of the Finniston Committee” and a working group was set up to draw together the Institute’s comments for submission to the Department of Industry by 1 April 1980.
Despite later concerns (raised at the Conference of Branch Representatives on 5-6 June 1980) that, “there had been very little time for consultation in preparing the Institute’s submission to the Department of Industry,” the Institute’s comments were submitted to the Department of Industry as well as being passed to the CEI and various Members of Parliament.
A document presented at a Professional Board meeting on 27 March 1980 collected the thoughts of The Welding Institute in regard to Finniston’s report.
The Institute accepted the need for an alternative to the CEI with the creation of the Engineering Authority. However, concerns were expressed over the composition of the Authority, believing that, “the Authority should be the expression of the engineering profession and not of the Government.” It was also felt that, “the prime responsibility of the Authority must be to act as an ‘engine for change’ in order to secure a shift in attitudes towards engineering,” but that the “ultimate responsibility for setting standards for education and training and for accreditation” would “more appropriately, efficiently and economically be performed by existing institutions.” This view came from a belief that these aspects “can only be adequately judged by experts” from institutions.
The Welding Institute agreed with the idea of a statutory register but expressed “grave concern” over the idea of making registration independent of institution membership, stating that, “the recommendations with respect to registration will tend to have the effect of depriving the institutions of the means and authority to fulfil the responsibilities specified.” The Institute also argued that those listed on the ERB register should be transferred from the CEI to the Engineering Authority so as not to humiliate those engineering technicians who were currently registered and sow unnecessary division in the engineering workforce.
With regards to accreditation of engineering degree courses, The Institute believed that this should be carried out by the institutions “acting as agents for the Engineering Authority, rather than directly by the Authority itself.”
The Institute did support Finniston’s assertion for the continuing formation of engineers as developed by the Institute’s School of Welding Technology and School of Applied non-Destructive Testing, but raised concerns that “the structure of a first degree course does not take measure of the depth of specialist knowledge that is sometimes involved and brings into question the availability of teaching resources.”
In summary, The Institute accepted that institutions had a continuing role to play but had reservations over registration being “entirely independent of the institutions” as it was felt this would “weaken their authority and deplete their resources.” It was also felt that institutions should retain their role in the education, training and accreditation rather than simply advising the Engineering Authority. The Authority itself should assist the institutions without a “domineering or interfering attitude” that would “cause resentment which would be injurious to the Authority itself.”
The Welding Institute also stated that the Finniston Committee’s recommendations “tend to transfer too many of the proper functions of the institutions to the Engineering Authority,” yet felt that the Authority had an important role to play on promoting engineering as a career in schools and helping to persuade university engineering students that a career in manufacturing “provides job satisfaction fully comparable with that derived from a career in research or design.”
As Professional Board Chairman, Mr Copleston “believed that the Institute had forwarded a very positive and well-prepared contribution” to Finniston’s findings, it was now a matter of waiting for a final outcome.
This impacted the work of The Institute’s Policy Review Committee, especially given that the future of the CEI itself was now in question. The structure of the Institute’s Professional Board, the future role of the Institute and the training programme on offer were all forced to wait for the outcome of Finniston’s recommendations.
There was, however, still an air of discontent over some of Finniston’s assertions, with a Mr Newman commenting that “he was unable to accept the comment in Finniston that the weakness of the engineering industry was due to the incompetence of its engineers,” with a report noting that, “he considered that the fault lay with unsatisfactory conditions at work.”
Several draft charters were submitted and amended in relation to the Finniston Inquiry over the following months, with acting Chair of the Professional Board, Professor Budekin stating on 19 March 1981 that, “the existing Charter of the CEI could only be terminated with the consent of 75% of the existing 185,000 Chartered Engineers, hence the necessity for securing their consent to the new arrangements if a damaging confrontation were to be avoided.”
In the end, the Conservative government opted not to follow Finniston’s recommendations and instead retained the independence and self-regulating nature of institutions. Despite Finniston’s objections, it was also decided that the Engineering Council was established to oversee the profession under royal charter (rather than via parliamentary legislation as would have been the case with a statutory body).
The CEI also rejected Finniston’s findings and instead recommended that three new bodies were established; one for register engineers, one to promote the profession and change the national attitude to engineering, and one to act as a voice to influence national policy towards the profession.
Of the institutions that were part of the CEI, some supported Finniston’s report and others rejected it, opting for continued self-regulation.
Despite the original rejection of Finniston’s recommendations, some of the ideas outlined in the report did end up coming into being.
The government replaced the CEI with the Engineering Council that still operates today and the Engineering Council instigated common record-keeping systems for continuing professional development (CPD) for engineering institutions, bringing the profession in line with accountants, town planners and surveyors who were, at the time, the only other professions to require the formal recording of CPD.
Finniston’s recommendation to implement schemes to increase the number of engineering and science students as well as to attract more women and young people to the profession were realised, including with the 1984 ‘Women into Science and Engineering (WISE)’ campaign. This work has continued over the following decades with a survey in 2000 showing that 72% of respondents rated engineering or science as a good career choice for women, compared to just 56% at the time of Finniston’s report.
Chartered engineer status was restricted by the Engineering Council in 1992, so only applicants with BEng or MEng degrees were accepted. At the same time the industry has become more accessible and is now seen as more desirable than at the time of Finniston’s report, with salaries increasing in some sectors.
Perhaps most tellingly of all, the Engineering Council’s Hamilton Report, released in 2000, found that Finniston’s report had been unfairly labelled as being dirigiste (whereby the state plays an overly directive role that is contrary to its merely regulatory role). In the end, Sir James Hamilton’s report decided that Finniston had actually recommended very little legislative control over the engineering profession. However, Finniston’s report marked a monumental time for the engineering profession and the role of Institutions.
With our hundredth anniversary being this year, we have been in conversation with some of our Professional Members to learn about their engineering careers and their fond memories of The Welding Institute and TWI Ltd.
In and amongst these we have spoken to EUR ING John Kell MBE CEng FWeldI. With his personal ties to TWI and The Welding Institute that are traced back to when he was a young child, he recounted how he spent time living in our very own Abington Hall at just four years old to working with The Institute now!
His past with the Institute began when his mother undertook a housekeeping role at the organisation’s newly built conference centre in 1968. To provide student accommodation to those attending welder and NDT training courses at TWI, the conference centre was built and subsequent upgrades to Abington Hall were made. Abington Hall also included the British welding Sports and Social Club facilities, including a bar, darts boards, full-sized snooker table and a golf putting green.
John recalls in his time living in the flat on the top floor of Abington Hall, of playing games around the grounds of the estate with his older brother. Having a grandfather who was a marine engineer and served in The London Scottish Regiment as well as being injured during the infamous first day of the Somme during World War Once, as well as a father who spent over two decades as a career soldier within the Royal Tank Regiment and Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, John had been exposed to engineering his whole life and consequently also took an interest in the military.
The links between Abington Hall, the military and The Welding Institute are traced back to 1946, with the end of the Second World War seeing the army, who had taken use of the Hall during the war, vacate the grounds. The forerunner to the current TWI, The British Welding Research Association having bought the Hall for £3850. Under the guidance of Dr Richard Weck, the initial fatigue research activities on the site took place in a former army hut.
John and his family knew Dr Weck well, with him living nearby to South Lodge. The former Director General of BWRA and The Welding Institute even provided John with books for his university studies. John went on to study a degree in manufacturing systems engineering at Portsmouth and worked as a design engineer for Lufthansa in Hamburg as part of his sandwich degree course.
At this point, John had amassed engineering experience close to home after being an apprentice at TWI in 1980 under training supervisor Ray Hood’s direction. After having originally sought to work in the technical drawing office, John joined the electron beam (EB) department after spending time in the machine shop; where he operated an EB welding machine under the supervision of Tibor Szluha. This was all while studying part-time and taking training day-releases, where he earnt his ONC and HNC qualifications.
At the time, Dr Alan Sanderson was TWI’s head of EB – he encouraged John to continue his academic career further and so he went back into full time education at Portsmouth University in 1989. After working during the Summer at TWI to earn some extra money whilst studying in 1990 and 1991, he headed back to the EB department at TWI in 1993. Currently, John became a Senior Project Leader working on out-of-vacuum EB and equipment build projects for nuclear waste containment vessels, and offshore pipeline fabrication projects.
During the period between 1999 and 2001, John left TWI and went over to Milwaukee in the USA, working for a Tier 1 automotive company as Senior Advanced Manufacturing Engineer, supporting new joining process development, lean manufacturing process implementation and 3D discrete event simulation and robotic modelling. When he returned to the UK, he ran his newly formed manufacturing consultancy and then later returned to TWI for a further seven years, undertaking the role of business development manager for the automotive and motorsport sector.
His career at TWI amounted to around two decades and comprised of time in the machine shop, the EB department, the manufacturing support group (where he worked on the 3D modelling of production lines and was part of the Welding Engineer Helpdesk), and as a business development lead and manager for TWI’s automotive operations. Having worked across a multitude of sectors, including oil and gas, nuclear, aerospace, automotive and defence, his career at TWI led to travel globally, from South Africa to Japan as well as time spent working out in the North Sea.
As he now works as a principal R&D specialist for the government, John’s ties with The Welding Institute has continued.
Previously the Chairman and a committee member of the Eastern County Welding and Joining Society (1995-2007), John was also on The Welding Institute’s Education Committee, and is now in his second term as a Professional Board member. Having starting at technician grade and progressing on completion of his engineering degree, he became a Professional Member of The Institute during his time at TWI.
His Membership led him to become a Chartered Engineer, which John acknowledges is an important measure of engineering competence, providing endorsement and a level of assurance to employers.
John endorsed that he would readily recommend engineering as a career, professional engineering institution membership and chartered status to others – not only differentiating you amongst peers but also being valuable for securing further professional and personal development, networking with contacts within your industry and can aid in acquiring higher value and rewarding career opportunities. As some employers favour engineers with chartered status, this qualification can offer career and social mobility for young people.
John remains eager to use his expertise and experience to guide and encourage engineering as a career, including as a Major – officer commanding 3 Company Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force, where he supports promoting STEM.
His extensive and diverse range of experience makes John perfect for supporting and offering advice to any young people who are considering an engineering career. With the ever-changing nature of the industry provoking a move from a hardware to a software-based focus, there is still a need for engineers and technicians, and those employed in design, innovation and research and development.
Looking retrospectively on his career, John shared that he wished he had been more confident in dealing with senior managers when he was first working as a technician, but is also keen to emphasise the value of his apprenticeship.
Having invested time into an apprenticeship as well as studying towards a degree, John recommends the apprenticeship route for those that may not be as favoured towards a degree, as it provides a working comprehension of a role that may be shown in practise at university. This knowledge can become invaluable as you develop your career, potentially up to management, as you will have ‘shop floor’ experience to support your qualifications.
Ultimately, whichever path you choose, it is apparent that engineering has given John career fulfilment and professional recognition, while The Welding Institute has remained a constant throughout his life!
Sophie Dawson EngTech TechWeldI is currently a Nuclear Welding Inspector (Project Inspector) at Sellafield Ltd, having achieved her GCSEs; she chose to pursue a NWIT apprenticeship involving gaining her current HNC and CSWIP qualifications.
She talks us through her career in engineering, how she has benefitted from her current Membership and her thoughts on being an apprentice.
My name is Sophie Dawson EngTech TechWeldI and I’m currently a Nuclear Welding Inspector (Project Inspector) at Sellafield Ltd. I achieved my GCSEs and then went on to complete an apprenticeship with my current employer (NWIT apprenticeship - Nuclear Welding Inspection Technician). This course involved gaining an HNC in Manufacturing Engineering, PCN Level 2 in DPI & MPI, 3.0 CSWIP and then the 3.1 CSWIP equivalent as a Nuclear Welding Inspection Technician working at Sellafield Ltd.
Which courses have you undertaken?
I have undertaken a NWIT apprenticeship (Nuclear Welding Inspection Technician), as well as CSWIP 3.0 and PCNs Level 2 in DPI, MPI and UT NDT testing techniques.
Please describe your current job role and responsibilities and your typical working day:
At Sellafield Ltd I am currently in the Major Projects team, this involves a client inspector’s role witnessing contractors’ work on various projects across the Sellafield site. My typical day-to-day role involves meeting with contractor inspectors for various companies and witnessing a percentage of NDT activities and signing up relevant inspection records, after reviewing the relevant procedures, qualifications, and materials. As well as the physical inspections, I also carry out documentation reviews for example quality plans and lifetime records for fabrications and projects.
Furthermore, part of my role involves using my Ultrasonic Testing PCN Level 2 qualification. I will sometimes carry out witnessing activities, or I will carry out the inspection activities myself for various projects across site; and I will produce relevant documentation for example reports for the projects.
These jobs can include lamination scanning, testing of welds and thickness checking surveys for pipelines. I have become harness trained within my job, working from height, confined spaces and using risk assessments appropriately for safe working.
25th November 2020 after completing my NWIT apprenticeship.
As I have completed the NWIT (Nuclear Welding Inspection Technician) apprenticeship with Sellafield Ltd, joining The Welding Institute was part of the completion of the apprenticeship, following an interview with a TWI panel. Renewing my membership with The Welding Institute was the obvious choice for me as the benefits included are relevant for my choice of career and I am confident that the Welding Institute will continue to support me throughout.
Becoming a Member of The Welding Institute and of a professional institution has many benefits. One of these benefits being that I can focus on my personal professional development within my career as it promotes continual improvement. The professional membership also strengthens my CV and gives me the option to network with welding professionals, to improve overall my knowledge and skills as I gain experience in my current field of work.
Being a member of The Welding Institute enables me to have access to the job knowledge and information about testing techniques, which can be useful for my current position. To add to this, I will make use of these resources to help me when gaining further qualifications throughout my career’s development.
I was interested in engineering from school, enjoying subjects like maths, physics, and chemistry. I completed various work experience placements within the engineering sector, one company introduced me to welding and the quality inspection aspects of the job, which I enjoyed. From then, my eyes were opened to the opportunities, and then I went on to apply for an apprenticeship with a local training provider working for Sellafield Ltd within this field.
Why did you choose to undertake an apprenticeship?
I chose to apply for an apprenticeship because the benefits stood out to me. I liked the idea of training up in the relevant field, gaining experience on the job in various work placements, and being paid at the same time to do so. To further this, the apprenticeship I applied for offered me the chance to complete an HNC in Manufacturing Engineering, so the higher-level education stood out to me, as it was something I was interested in doing after I left school.
What’s one of your biggest apprenticeship highlights or achievements that you’re most proud of?
I was firstly proud to complete my apprenticeship successfully and gain my qualifications, which were, for example, my 3.1 Welding Inspector (NWIT) qualification, my HNC, PCN Level 2s and my CSWIP 3.0 qualifications - as well as earning my professional registration as EngTech and my TechWeldI Membership.
Throughout my apprenticeship, when working on different placements I was able to have the opportunity to find out what I would like to focus on, this being ultrasonic testing. After being offered the chance to learn about UT testing by a couple of my work placements, I began gaining experience in this field and therefore led to achieve my PCN Level 2 in ultrasonic testing methods – a qualification I’m also proud to achieve.
I am aspiring to expand on my ultrasonic testing knowledge, as I am currently gaining experience using the NDT technique Phased Array. I am working with colleagues who have their Level 2 qualifications in the testing method and learning from them on how to use the equipment involved. I hope that this will lead onto more opportunities for me within my career if I gain this qualification and experience. As for my future membership goals with The Welding Institute, I would like to explore potential volunteering opportunities to overall contribute to my CPD and experience within this field.
Would you recommend membership with The Welding Institute?
Yes, I would recommend The Welding Institute for the reasons given above.
What advice would you give to anyone considering an apprenticeship in engineering?
I would say go for it! The apprenticeship I was on opened my eyes to many opportunities that are available to me, and the amount of experience you gain through working in a constant working environment alongside knowledgeable colleagues is definitely worth it.
Dr Annette Karstensen is a Fracture Mechanics and FFS Specialist at Becht with an MSc in Engineering from Aalborg University in Denmark and a PhD in Fracture Mechanics from Glasgow University.
Dr Karstensen talks us through how she came to be interested in engineering from a young age to travelling globally, as well as her advice to her younger self when she was beginning her career in engineering.
I joined in 1996, I was fortunate enough to work at TWI in the Structural Integrity department after I finished my PhD and I was encouraged to join during that time. I worked at TWI for 7 years before I moved to New Zealand with my Kiwi husband.
I am a FFS and fracture mechanics specialist who gets involved in structural integrity projects for Becht clients. The projects mainly relate to advanced fracture mechanics, high temperature and fatigue issues. My projects have ranged from leak before break evaluation of large storage tanks, to remaining life calculations of steam methane reformer tubes, to establishing minimum pressurisation temperatures for pressure equipment, and the avoidance of brittle fracture. I also teach the API 579 course globally and have taught close to 50 courses in the past 15 years.
When I was a kid, I would pull things apart and try not to have too many parts left over when I put them together again. In my teens, I got fascinated by industrial failures and wanted to become part of an investigative team that works out why failures occur. So, when I came to choose a career path, engineering was the obvious choice. Initially working at TWI gave me a really good opportunity to work across departments, learning all the different aspects that need to be investigated during a failure analysis.
Helping clients in the petrochemical, refining or power industry better understand their integrity issues has been very rewarding over the past 25 years. I believe the highlights are when clients make an effort to call or write an email to let me know how the work that I have delivered has helped them and letting me know how much they appreciate the effort.
In my previous role, I was the team lead for the Asia Pacific Structural Integrity team, and one of the most rewarding parts of this job was to see how young engineers straight out of university developed into competent consultants under the mentorship that was offered in my group. I remember sitting in a client meeting one day discussing a difficult technical problem, with the conversation being led by a young engineer that I had recruited and helped train and mentor, being in that meeting and seeing how well he performed felt like a real achievement.
What has made engineering fun and enjoyable?
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to many clients' sites worldwide, which has been extremely rewarding. Through my job, I have travelled extensively throughout Asia, the US, Europe, and the Middle East. I have actively participated in numerous plant turnarounds, offering "while-you-wait" fitness-for-service advice. This ensures that decisions regarding return to service or repair can be made promptly and immediately. These jobs have been rewarding as there are often so many factors to consider and the issues are very varied.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
A funny challenge was on my first day at TWI when I met one of my new teammates. The first thing he asked was, “what football team do you support?” I had to very quickly pick a team - which I have followed from the side-lines since!
I was encouraged to join The Welding Institute when I started working at TWI. At that time, I was a member of the Danish Engineering Association.
I initially became registered with the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (EurIng) in 2001. I think I applied for Chartered Engineer (CEng MWeldI) in 2003, through The Welding Institute, and in 2013 I got elected as a Fellow (FWeldI).
Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute?
I would recommend membership to anyone with an interest in welding and joining technology and structural integrity living in the UK.
Get formal mentorship early in your career and have set goals. During the mentor discussions, keep a notebook of the goals and discussions with the mentor. The mentor does not necessarily have to be someone from your own work, it can be someone from academia or it can be someone from a different organisation that you admire and would like to learn from. Also, don’t be afraid of changing mentors or have more than one at any time, the more input from different angles the better.
Aaron Kirkbride is one of our volunteer Members, having become a Member in 2013 he talks us through his career in engineering, becoming Professionally Registered as well as his experiences of volunteering with us!
My name is Aaron Kirkbride, BEng MSc IWE/EWE CEng, CQP, MWeldI, MCQI; I’m 27 years old and originally from Washington, located in the Northeast.
I’m currently a Welding Engineer with Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd in Derby. Prior to this, I studied a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering at Northumbria University, Newcastle followed by an MSc in Welding Engineering at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire. I also have an International / European Welding Engineer diploma (I/EWE) through TWI Ltd, as well as being a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Chartered Quality Professional (CQP).
I became a Student Member way back in 2013.
As a Welding Engineer, my responsibilities include the qualification of welding procedures, providing technical support to production, and undertaking QA/QC activities. This covers a vast array of processes, materials, and applications though in my current role I focus on mechanized cladding for pressure vessels.
The business is at the forefront of innovation, so I’m becoming more involved in technically challenging projects, such as additive manufacturing and bi-cathode cladding.
I always wanted to be an engineer, but I did not quite know the route to take. At the time, I didn’t think college or university really was for me as I struggled with exams, and my Grandad was quite adamant I get an apprenticeship to learn a trade. I ended up getting one with a local company, and over the last decade, I’ve gradually progressed from an apprentice welder to a welding engineer.
I did a part-time HNC at South Tyneside College when I was still a welder. This was one of the best decisions I ever made and was genuinely one of the best courses I’ve ever done. After leaving school, I wasn’t very confident at maths or science, but with doing, the HNC really bridged that gap and cemented the idea that I wasn’t just restricted to the practical welding side. To this day, I still recommend doing an HNC, as despite being technically challenging, it gave me a brilliant insight into the science behind welding and gave me enthusiasm to pursue it further.
Making the transition from welder to welding engineer, as it’s not a well-defined route. At the time, I didn’t know what qualifications I needed or how to get there, though there’s now some colleges offering a distance learning HNC in welding & fabrication. Even now, I find its one of a few fields where many engineers have previously started as hands-on, practical apprentices, as opposed to joining a business as a graduate with a degree.
My supervisor at the time was the Chair of the local Branch. He encouraged me to attend the monthly technical talks, which I’m happy to admit, being a welding apprentice at the time most of them went straight over my head! I was given a free Associate Membership, and shortly after, I ended up joining the Branch as a committee Member. As I’ve moved businesses over the years, I’ve been very fortunate to have mentors in each who have continued to support me being involved and given me the time off when needed.
I joined as an Associate student grade (AWeldI) which I held for a couple of years whilst I was still studying. I ended up becoming a Professional Member (MWeldI) once I became Professionally Registered.
Yes, I’m a CEng with The Welding Institute (MWeldI), and also a CQP with the Chartered Quality Institute (MCQI).
I started my journey to Professional Registration by first becoming an Engineering Technician (EngTech) followed by gaining Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status and then finally CEng last year. I chose to become Professionally Registered as it demonstrates my competence and experience in the sector, as well as being recognised internationally. Whilst CEng is very familiar to most in engineering roles, you can gain EngTech and IEng much earlier in your career, but this not quite as well known. CEng typically requires you to demonstrate several years working in challenging applications with a high level of responsibility in your respective field. I also chose to gain CQP, as it was extremely relevant to my role as it includes undertaking quality assurance and compliance operations.
I think the biggest benefit of Professional Membership was the connection I’ve been able to have with the members of my local Branch. I was able to network with and be surrounded by fellow engineers, at different stages of their own careers, who are able to offer so much in advice. At this point, guidance was vital at such an early stage in my career. Professional Registration has allowed me to demonstrate my competence and experience to my employer and colleagues by having this independently assessed and verified.
I’ve found the WeldaSearch tool particularly useful, especially when I’m looking to qualify or develop a new material or process. I’m able to access thousands of technical publications and research papers, which whilst they might not always cover my specific application, in most cases they can give me leads on where to look next.
Many people, even those who are existing Members of The Welding Institute, don’t realise the amount of effort and the hours that the Branch Members, all volunteers, give up supporting their local region. Whether it’s technical talks, site visits, equipment demonstrations or even annual dinners, it will be the Branch committee who organise all this and spend countless hours making sure that you get the most from your membership. Being on the Institute’s Professional Board has allowed me to play an even bigger role in this, as I can now see and contribute at a much higher level by being able to have a say on the Institute’s governance and direction for its Professional Members.
Do it. Whilst we are now past Covid-19, many Branches are still feeling the effects and are struggling to regain the traction that we once had. To combat this, many have transitioned from face-to-face meetings to online talks to increase the number of attendees, but the Branches’ themselves still rely on Members coming forward and contributing to this. Many, if not all Branches will have openings for Committee Members where you can have your say on your local Branch and help shape it. Most will also have positions for Branch officer, roles that undertake a specific responsibility such as Programme Secretary (organising Branch events), Treasurer (management of Branch finances) or Young Members Representative (recruitment of Younger Members). These roles can be hugely rewarding, and you would be supported by your fellow Committee Members, most of whom have probably held the role before you!
I’m currently in the process of applying for European Engineer (EUR ING) status, and I’m enrolled on the International Metal Additive Manufacturing Coordinator (IMAMC) course being ran by the EWF, which is similar to the IWE though for Additive Manufacturing. A long way off but I would eventually like to gain Fellowship status (FWeldI) in the future and would like to possibly do a PhD in a related discipline.
What advice would you give or what would you say to your younger self-beginning your career in engineering?
It’s a very long path to becoming a Welding Engineer, but it’s been worth it. I’ve become highly qualified, and the role is technically challenging and changes every day. I’m very fortunate that colleagues who have been of a similar mind-set surrounded me and pushed me to get more involved. If you want to get more involved and don’t know where to start, contact your local Branch – they will be more than happy to give you guidance, not just on membership and getting involved with the Institute, but on your career as well.
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