John Batey FWeldI has accomplished many accolades including passing multiple Institute of Welding Membership Examinations in 1966 to 1967. As well as going onto achieving multiple first class passes.

He qualified as a CSWIP 3.2.2 Welding Inspector and was awarded diplomas as a European Welding Technologist and a European Welding Inspection Specialist in both May and September 2000 respectively.

John discusses why he chose engineering, his extensive welding experience as being one of our longest serving Members and his advice to his younger self-beginning his career.

Brief description/summary about yourself:

Qualifications

I passed The Institute of Welding’s Membership Examinations in Welding Technology, Welding Metallurgy, Welding Inspection and Control in 1966-67. I also obtained first class passes in technology and engineering drawing, science and calculations plus practical welding, for the Welding Technicians Grouped Course set by the Northern Counties Technical Examination Council in 1961, 1962 and 1963. I also achieved first class passes in the ordinary and advanced level of the City & Guilds of London Institute in Welding in 1962 and 1964.

The European Welding Federation (EWF) awarded me a diploma as a European Welding Technologist in 2000 and later that year, they awarded me a diploma as a European Welding Inspection Specialist. I later became certified by CSWIP as a Welding Inspector 3.2.2 Level 3 in 2015.

Career

Starting with a five-year welding apprenticeship with The National Coal Board from 1960 – 1965, my career has included senior welding engineering and quality management positions in shipbuilding, offshore oil and gas projects, nuclear and conventional power plants and civil engineering contracts.

The latest company I worked for was Consolidated Contractors Company in the Middle East as a Chief Welding Engineer and Project Quality Manager on major oil and gas projects.

Intro to You and Your Career in Engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I chose a career in engineering as in the area where I lived, there were several heavy engineering industries with multiple job opportunities

Early Professional Membership

When did you join The Welding Institute?

I joined The Institute of Welding as a Graduate Member in 1963, I was then elected to the class of Member in November 1969, and finally to class of Fellow in November 1981.

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

I initially joined the Institute of Welding because I attended the monthly lectures held by the Northumbria Branch in Newcastle and wanted to be part of the organisation.

Current Membership

What have been some of your core involvements with The Welding Institute?

In the 1970’s and 1980’s I served in various capacities in the Northumbria Branch, I was Programme Secretary, Social Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chairman and Chairman.

How would you say professional membership has helped you throughout your career?

Professional membership helped me throughout my career as clients and personnel recognised The Welding Institute as a very important organisation.

As one of The Welding Institute’s longest serving Members, what are one or two of your fondest memories from being a Member?

My fondest memories of being a member are attendance at Branch lectures, social events, Branch dinners and liaison with TWI staff on technical matters.

Future

What advice would you give to your younger self, beginning your career in engineering?

I would strongly advise anyone who wishes to have a career in Welding Engineering to gain as much practical welding experience as possible and join the Welding Institute as soon as they can.

Our Welding and Joining Processes Technical Group will be hosting their upcoming online Technical Group, from 12:30am – 13:30pm (UK time) on 8 June 2023.

The event, which is titled, ‘Back-to-Basics: MIG/MAG welding,’ will provide an introduction to MIG/MAG welding, attendees of this webinar will learn about the:

• Advantages and disadvantages of the process
• Power sources and their current/voltage characteristic
• Ancillary equipment such as torches, wire feeders and umbilicals
• Modes of metal transfer and welding consumables
• Finishing with a brief look at some aspects of health and safety

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is aimed at engineers, technicians, welders and apprentices entering the welding profession or those with little or no knowledge of the process and would like to know more.

Speaker and Presentations:

• Eur Ing Eugene Mathers CEng, MSc, Dip IIM, FWeldI, EWE, IWE

FULL EVENT AND REGISTRATION DETAILS 

With this year marking 100 years of The Welding Institute supporting welding and joining professionals, we explored the impact of professional registration for your career.

In 1996, the Institute was granted licence from the Engineering Council to assess candidates for inclusion on the national register of professional engineers and technicians, allowing them to use the professional titles of Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Why seek a professional title?

As UK legislation can be generally permissive in nature, it lends itself to the issue of anyone being able to claim themselves as an engineer - professional or registered. This arises the question of how to be able to tell the difference between a semi-skilled or unskilled person.

The Engineering Council helps to combat this, where they are able to grant professional titles (ICTTech, EngTech, IEng and CEng), which are protected by law. Attaining these professional and internationally recognised titles displays your professional competence all through voluntary registration with the Engineering Council. Assessments of your competence are typically carried out on behalf of the Engineering Council by a licensed member institution, like The Welding Institute.

According to the Engineering Council, chartered engineers, “are characterised by their ability to develop appropriate solutions to engineering problems, using new or existing technologies, through innovation, creativity and change. They might develop and apply new technologies, promote advanced designs and design methods, introduce new and more efficient production techniques, marketing and construction concepts, pioneer new engineering services and management methods. Chartered engineers are variously engaged in technical and commercial leadership and possess interpersonal skills."

Professional Engineering Institutions: A short history

The beginning of professional institutions in the UK begins with the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1818, followed by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1847 and the Institution of Electrical Engineers in 1871. Between them, this ’big three’ represent 80% of registered UK engineers.

In 1964, the Joint Council of Engineering Institutions was formed, changing its name to the Council of Engineering Institutions (CEI) in 1965 and gaining a Royal Charter.

Royal charters have a long withstanding history, with the earliest on record being granted to the University of Cambridge in 1231 by Henry III of England.

Royal charters began to be granted to guilds, learned societies and professional bodies in 1272, when a royal charter was given to the Saddlers Company, followed by the Merchant Taylors Company in 1326 and the Skinners Company in 1327.

The CEI, complete with royal charter, provided a similar function to today’s Engineering Council as being the UK regulatory authority for the registration of chartered, incorporated and technician level engineers. A royal commission created by Sir Monty Finniston in 1977 investigated the possibility of direct government control of professional engineers, but it was eventually decided that it would be best not to follow this course of action. Instead, the Engineering Council was set up, with a royal charter of its own, in 1981 to replace the CEI.

The Engineering Council now boasts national registers for over 228,000 engineers and technicians, allowing those to demonstrate their professional competence. All whilst confirming trust and reassurance to employers, governments and wider society, national and international.

The Welding Institute and Professional Registration

Having originally evolved as a small institute uniting acetylene welders with electric arc welders in 1923, The Welding Institute grew over the ensuing decades, becoming a professional engineering institution granted licence from the Engineering Council in 1996. This allowed the Institute to assess candidates for inclusion on the national register of professional engineers and technicians, awarding the titles of Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng).

Over 42.5% of Institute Members are professionally registered and, if you’re interested in learning more about professional membership and registration, or beginning your journey to becoming professionally registered, you can find out more or speak to our membership team.

Our NDT and Condition Monitoring Technical Group will be hosting their upcoming online Technical Group, from 9:30am – 11:00pm (UK time) on 31 May 2023.

The event, which is titled, ‘Back-to-Basics: Effect of joint design on NDT Effectiveness,’ aims to provide those responsible for specifying joint type and design with an appreciation of the impact of joint geometry on the effectiveness of subsequent NDT and the work involved to provide an adequate inspection.

Who Should Attend?

This is relevant to those fabricating and inspecting the items and to those responsible for overall manufactured quality.

Speaker and Presentations:

Stephen Wisniewski CEng, MWeldI, BEng (Hons), CSWIP/PCN L3, TWI Training and Examinations group Manager, TWI Ltd - Joint design and its effects on inspection capability

FULL EVENT AND REGISTRATION DETAILS 

Amit Jain is a Lead Asset Integrity Engineer working at SABIC, KSA with a Masters in Welding Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, Rajasthan University, India.

He joined The Welding Institute in 2010 and shares with us his experiences through engineering as well as his thoughts on being professionally registered and becoming TechWeldI.

About You

When did you join The Welding Institute?

I registered with The Welding Institute and Engineering UK in 2010.

Please describe your current job role and responsibilities/a typical day in your role:

A summary of my roles and responsibilities would be welding and being involved with welding technology, root cause failures and risk assessments.

Intro to you and your career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

Engineering is versatile and offers many opportunities. It is an innovative field and a diverse industry, I enjoy contributing to teams through technical endeavour to sustain and improve lives.

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

I am proud to achieve my Masters in Welding Engineering and receiving certification ‘IWE’ from IIW USA. I am also happy to have published technical papers in ‘International Welding Congress and International Journal’.

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

During conducting failure analysis, we were facing the problem of finding exact root cause however while going through some international journals and The Welding Institute technical papers, we were able to overcome this challenge.

Early Professional Membership

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

Registration with The Welding Institute and Engineering Council establishes their proven knowledge, understanding and competence. It also helps to enhance competency in Welding Engineering through a technical database and job knowledge articles.

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

My journey of becoming Member of The Welding Institute started with a review of my CV and a check of eligibility by the technical committee. Then the committee went through my application and invited me for an interview.

Since I have my Master’s in Welding Engineering, I have applied for CEng however, initially my application was for eligibility for TechWeldI. Now I am in the process of applying for CEng Status.

Professional Membership and Registration: TechWeldI and EngTech

When and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

During 2009, I started the process of becoming professionally registered with The Welding Institute and Engineering Council UK. Professional registration is helpful for job applications and tendering to work abroad.

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

It establishes proven knowledge and demonstrates a commitment to professional standard.

How has Professional Membership as TechWeldI supported you in your career?

With the help of The Welding Institute’s Membership, you have access to technical journals and papers to enhance your technical knowledge and competencies.

Current Membership

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

Yes, I was a mentor in my present organization for fresh engineers.

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

I use all the Member benefits, but particularly the job knowledge articles.

Are there any membership benefits that you would like to use more?

I would like to use all the Membership benefits more.

Future (Membership and Career)

What are your engineering aspirations?

I would like to achieve CEng Status as soon as possible and I am working towards that. I would like to provide technical support as advisor in my core competencies.

Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?

Yes, anyone aspiring to be recognised as a professional engineer, this is the way to achieve this.

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

By professional registration, you can demonstrate competence and commitment to perform professional work.

There was a vast demand for welding design and construction courses and therefore The Institute of Welding, currently The Welding Institute, established a School of Welding Technology.

This first course, held in 1957 on the welding of pressure vessels, took place near the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London. This course can be seen as a precursor to today’s TWI Training with the popularity of the course led to 100 people applying for its 40 places and quickly leading to more courses being organised until, by the early 1960s, the school had hosted more than 300 visiting lecturers.

In 1965, the BWRA and the Non-Destructive Testing Society of Great Britain created the School of Applied Non-Destructive Testing and established formal training in areas including ultrasonic weld testing and radiographic interpretation. These courses would lead to the assessment and award of a nationally recognised certification and, ultimately, the establishment of what is known today as CSWIP, the Certification Scheme for Personnel.

The Institute did not only grow as a community with the increased number of candidates showing up for the courses, but the growing number of courses as well as the variety of programmes introduced connected us more with the needs of our audience.

TWI has gone on to expand across the UK, opening offices and laboratories in Middlesbrough, Aberdeen, Port Talbot and the Advanced Manufacturing Park, South Yorkshire, as well as gaining a global presence including in North America, China, Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East.

In addition to the added offices and laboratories that are now in place around the world, we have recently introduced online courses that are designed to share our senior lecturers’ extensive knowledge but also available to be personalised to you. Online courses have various benefits to them, such as time and cost savings and making the content available for on-demand study and research.

TWI Training has grown since the most formative years as part of the Institute to now include a wide variety of international training diplomas and courses such as BGAS-CSWIP, welding specialist, technologist and engineer – IIW/EWF levels, ISO 9712 compliant courses, and accredited to IOSH, NEBOSH, and more.

Hence, as the Institute has continued to serve its Members and support their professional development while promoting the welding profession to future generations, there is still plenty of scope to learn new skills through TWI Training, fulfilling yet another of the original goals of The Welding Institute.

Currently the Head of Welding Engineering at Altrad Babcock Ltd, EUR ING Neil F Bennett CEng MSc SenMWeldI achieved his MSc in Welding Engineering from Cranfield University and has also gained the TWI Welding Engineering Diploma from TWI Training Examination Services.

Neil gives us an insight into the technical day-to-day responsibilities of working in engineering as well as his journey of becoming professionally registered as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Engineering Council and a Member of The Welding Institute.

About You

When did you join The Welding Institute?

Originally, back in 1984/5 as an Associate Member. I have been a Senior Member for the last 11 years.

Please describe your current job role and responsibilities/a typical day in your role:

As Head of Welding Engineering, I have a small team of Senior Welding Engineers, a Senior Technician, a Welding Technologist and Welding Technicians/Instructors. We look after global Altrad operational welding governance, ensuring that it meets our accreditation to ISO 3834-2, and provide support on welding related issues.

Each day is usually different from the previous. We can be performing routine technical quality schedule reviews, contract technical reviews, consumable certification checks, or conducting/writing up PQRs/new WPSs. On the other hand, things can go right out of the window when emergent work lands during a plant outage, which may entail a complete rearrangement of the team’s workload distribution. Whilst we have new-build sites under construction, there are over a dozen currently in outage/TAR in the UK alone. We also operate in the Far East and Middle East where we are currently working offshore and on a new nuclear plant. The welding requirements are varied and that is what makes the role so interesting. We also must adapt to the time differences as well as the different work patterns to those in the UK.

Intro to you and your career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

I could say a lack of imagination! My dad was a manager at a major UK power station boiler OEM and worked through the heyday of that industry under nationalisation. The overall impression I got from his work was that it rewarded well, he seemed to like it and there were a few companies in my hometown of Derby supporting that industry, so I applied for an apprenticeship at a few of them. That was after I found out that my eyesight was not quite good enough to become a pilot!

I started off in power generation, followed by stints in railway, oil and gas, automotive, automation, aerospace, and then back into power generation, although Altrad Babcock operate in more than power generation these days.

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

There are a few, but one that is most prominent was the repair development of a couple of water tanks that each held 1.8m litres. The tanks were to be live at the time of repair, so the development had to be very thorough. Mock-ups were fabricated to simulate the repair scenario using various welding processes and methods of minimising the internal temperature to protect the rubber lining of the tanks. Ultimately, there was really no way of knowing that, if breached, the tanks would just gush or unzip and create a tsunami! The live repairs were monitored from inside using a remote vehicle (RV). Fortunately, the only thing that got wet was the RV!

Also, I can’t miss the opportunity to mention the first time I ran a robot cell at full speed that I had programmed – big boys’ toys those are!

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

The company I work for has always had a system of checking the levels of welding fume generated by our site activities, but the change in weld fume classification by the HSE in 2018 caused us to reconsider whether our processes were sufficiently robust to determine the exposure levels. One of my colleagues and I set about reviewing the factors affecting weld fume production, content and concentration, namely differing materials, welding processes and environments, to present a simple-as-possible system of analysing the exposure risk with each combination of factors. We had hardly had time to complete the real world testing of this revised system when we received an unannounced visit from an HSE inspector. We were pleased that the inspector went away happy having only made one minor comment.

Early Professional Membership

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

The Welding Institute is recognised as a leading organisation in the field of welding, and so it made sense to become affiliated with others in the industries in which welding plays a major part. The range of seminars offered have been relevant to the industry sectors in which I have worked and cover interesting areas that are not part of those sectors.

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

Initially, I became an Associate Member when I took the TWI Welding Engineering diploma in the late 1980s. From then, as my experience increased, along with my responsibilities at work where I progressed from Technician to Welding Engineer, I became eligible to gain Member status. As my career had further progressed through to Senior Engineer in 2012, when I also gained my engineering chartership, Senior Member status was also granted to me. This step was undoubtedly assisted by attaining an MSc in Welding Engineering at Cranfield University and becoming Welding Services Manager (now Head of Welding Engineering) at Altrad Babcock.

Professional Membership and Registration: CEng

When and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

The “when” part was just after I had gained my MSc. With the standing that CEng has within engineering, it made sense to have that association and to be recognised as having satisfied the requirements of that level. Chartership is a well-respected level of recognition of achievement within engineering which has brought me satisfaction from the work choices I have made to opportunities that have arisen in my career.

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

There is nothing exact that I can put my finger on, which may be because I have not changed company during this period of personal development. It will certainly not have harmed my internal standing as Technical Authority, Category Lead on operational site welding and RWC for ISO 3834-2.

What was the most difficult aspect of becoming registered as CEng and how did you overcome it?

Nothing springs to mind as being difficult. The professional review was enjoyable, despite my prior misgivings of what it may be like. This was partly due to the interviewers, who I will not embarrass here, but who will know who they were if they remember that far back! Thanks to them for making it an enjoyable couple of hours and the favourable outcome.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of becoming CEng?

The personal satisfaction of knowing you have reached that respected level within your profession.

Current Membership

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

Currently, apart from attending seminars/webinars, my main interactions are at Branch level where I attend local evening meetings. Previously I have mentored a candidate successfully through to CEng achievement and would consider doing so again should the opportunity arise.

Future (Membership and Career)

What are your engineering aspirations?

As department head, it must be to leave it in a better place than I inherited it. That will be hard because it had very capable tillermen prior to my tenure. Operating methods are different, mainly due to technological advances in communication, data management, and remote systems access and software applications. However, one constant is the need to provide concise, technically accurate and timely support for those at the coalface of our operations.

I am starting to get used to thinking about my fast approaching retirement and how to handle that. This year will be my 40^th year in the welding industry across different sectors with a total of twenty-nine in power generation; some things have changed, others have not – site welding on power station outages, process plant turnarounds, etc. are still mainly carried out using manual processes.

There are other processes out there that could replace these in part and I would like the opportunity to take them further. Whether that comes to fruition remains largely in the hands of R&D purse-string holders. I am happy to keep in a technical role; the next logical step-up would probably be to director level, but I prefer to remain in the technicalities of engineering. I would also wish to remain sitting on the BSI (British Standards Institution) Committee. It is an interesting role, provoking passionate discussions and varied opinions that put different lights on the way weld and welder qualification standards are used and interpreted.

Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?

Definitely. The benefits that this opens up are valuable along with the networking opportunities at seminars, etc. Branch events usually have interesting topics, which do not necessarily have to be within an individual’s immediate work sphere. Membership also provides a structure for personal and career development.

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

That it’s going to turn out alright! In saying that, I am not inferring that I had major misgivings or any lack of confidence in my early career. I left my first company, having progressed from Apprentice to Welding Engineer due to some excellent mentoring. I tried a few other industry sectors without a clear plan (thanks to redundancy) with the aims of not wanting to take a step backwards from an engineer level. The planning came a bit later in my career, which led to an MSc and step-ups from Welding Engineer to department head. I certainly did not imagine that I would achieve a chartership, which was not on my radar in my 20s – I was enjoying an outdoor, rugby playing lifestyle too much.

This year marks The Welding Institute’s centenary but the origins actually lead back to an inaugural meeting held in 1922. On the 26 January 1922, 20 men met together at the Holborn Restaurant in London to converse on the establishment of a new welding society.

This meeting, which was organised by Mr Charles Raggett, saw 16 of the men sign the Memorandum of Association, of whom just seven described themselves as ‘engineers.’ The other nine signatories were mainly drawn from commercial management staff of welding supply manufacturers and merchants – although one was certainly an M.I. Mech.E.

The establishment of a new institution was not the only success, as the institution also brought those from acetylene and arc welding together under one team.

Proceedings from this inaugural meeting discussed the creation of a “comprehensive welding society” and the decision to form a new society, which gained support from a range of persons and firms alike.

With a desire that “every welder should have an opportunity for keeping in close touch with the developments of the industry,” it was hoped that those joining would take an active interest in the proposed society.

It was also stated that these welders should seek a “certificate of proficiency” and that circulating information promoting the industry and training welders was also paramount.

The meeting led to those invited becoming founders, and also gained recognition from the American Welding Society who sent their “cordial good wishes.”

While small in number, this meeting set the foundations for what would become today’s internationally-recognised Institute and you can see images of the full proceedings from this inaugural meeting, below…

 

View the full Inaugural Meeting Proceedings PDF here.

Miguel Da Fonseca EngTech TechWeldI currently works as a Quality Control Manager in mining in South Africa. He has achieved his International Welding Technologist (IWT) - International Institute of Welding (IIW) Diploma through the South African Institute of Welding (SAIW). In addition, Miguel has gained a Level 1 ‘Fabrication and Welding Inspector’ Qualification and National Diploma in Engineering Studies, whilst also being a qualified electrician who passed with Honours.

Having joined The Welding Institute in 2016, we asked Miguel about his journey through engineering, what it has entailed and additionally, how being EngTech registered with the Engineering Council has supported him in his career.

About You

Please describe your current job role and responsibilities/a typical day in your role:

My roles and responsibilities span between improving resource efficiency, resource optimisation, process optimisation and more, however my role can be summarised as managing quality control executions in country and Mining Division for the SSAMESA region.

Intro to you and your career in engineering

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

Engineering chose me if I must be completely honest.

My passion to this day has always been the automotive industry. When I was 18 years old, I was eager to start a career in the industry in some form or another but fate stepped in with an unexpected opportunity, changing my school of thought completely.

The opportunity presented was to study towards a trade qualification as an electrician in the mining industry. I thought it best, at the time, to not pass up the opportunity. My thought was that the trade would then be something to fall back on, allowing me the “security” to pursue my passions at a later stage.

After a few years of working as a qualified electrician on coal processing and extraction mines, another opportunity became available to possibly study towards becoming a mine engineer. This was something that I was highly excited about and thought that this was the apex of what I could achieve.

Fate unexpectedly stepped in again, and circumstances arose where I decided to take another opportunity to move from the mining industry to the construction industry. At this time, I was circumspect as to whether I was going to do myself a disservice by making the industry change, but I felt that a path was being chosen for me. Fate led me successfully thus far so I thought that the unknown could be regrettable if I did not continue to follow it.

In a challenging move, I had gone from fully electrical training and studies to an almost fully mechanical discipline.

I served in various roles but eventually, quality assurance and quality control found me. This is where my path became specialised, and I have been in mainly similar roles ever since.

I became fascinated with the welding, fabrication and associated quality control inspection processes. My manager, at the time, had pushed me to study through the company, as he wanted me to have a notable qualification and have further education to back up / support my work experience. He supported my thinking in further specialising in the welding discipline as it would support company expertise in the field whilst being a high enough qualification to support my career in the future.

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

Every qualification and certification that I have achieved, are the standout highlights for me in their own way:

• Achieving acceptance / certification for TechWeldI and EngTech
• International Welding Technologist
• Fabrication and Welding Inspector Level 1
• National Diploma in Engineering Studies
• Electrical Trade Test

I have been truly blessed and humbled during this journey so far and I am looking forward to where my journey continues to take me.

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

There have been many work challenges but the one that stands out the most to me (being both work and personal), is passing the IWT examinations. As much as I thought I knew about the subject matter, I realised that there were quite a few things that I needed to fully understand.

The one valuable lesson I learned during that time was that talent without effort, never beats someone putting in the hard work required. Hard work beats talent every time.

Early Professional Membership

Why did you initially join The Welding Institute?

A few months after obtaining my IWT qualification, one of my colleagues mentioned that he was part of The Welding Institute. He mentioned the fantastic library of information that was available to the welding community globally and that it was an amazing forum to be part of.

He promoted the Institute so positively that it made the decision to apply the logical step.

He also mentioned that there were very few South Africans that carried the post nominals. I remember speaking to the membership team and them clarifying that I was one of 35 Members in South Africa, at the time.

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

I had the most fantastic experience and was assisted through the process by a dedicated membership officer. She was so helpful, knowledgeable and prompt with her correspondence throughout the process.

After reviewing my CV and experience, they advised that I would be best suited to the Welding Institute’s Technician membership (TechWeldI) grade and Engineering Technician (EngTech) registration with the Engineering Council.

Professional Membership and Registration: EngTech

When and why did you choose to become professionally registered?

At the time of applying for professional membership of The Welding Institute, my colleague also told me that there was the option to apply for Engineering Council registration. They also promoted registration with the UK Engineering Council positively so it was the logical choice to apply.

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

It was and continues to be a validation of my experience, studies and the value I can add to my organisation from a welding engineering perspective, particularly as many of our engineering team do not have the levels of experience with welding processes etc.

The most valuable aspects of professional registration were the ethical and professional behaviour elements due to the important role they play in working with integrity.

What was the most difficult aspect of becoming registered as EngTech and how did you overcome it?

Again, my membership officer was so helpful, knowledgeable and prompt with her correspondence throughout the process. With my colleague and membership officer’s support, there was nothing that I perceived as too difficult or challenging. I sought insight, inspiration and guidance from my lifelong welding mentor, with my application process and documents submitted.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of becoming EngTech?

The ethical and professional behaviour aspect is the most valuable aspects as part of performing my daily work with integrity.

Current Membership

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

Due to my level of current responsibilities and workloads, I am unfortunately not as active as I would like to be. I have however, promoted the Institute to a number of South Africans in the welding community, which I have regular contact with.

I have been part of some referrals in the past and am hoping to be in future, should some of my extended welding community colleagues apply for membership.

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

The membership benefits that I use most regularly include the events, newsletters, forums, and library, additionally access to speak and network with the knowledgeable people within the organisation. The articles in the newsletters are the information that I use the most.

Are there any membership benefits that you would like to use more?

The Weldasearch and Technical Library are things that I need to use more to continue to build knowledge.

Future (Membership and Career)

What are your engineering aspirations?

I am blessed in my current role and would like to explore options in Welding Engineering, in some form or another.

As we progress, the fantastic work being done globally into research and improving welding methods, understanding welding failures, and cases where good welding practices would have helped, are vital for future production methods.

The fourth Industrial Revolution is a fascinating prospect and welding technology will continue to play a part in how we progress as a society. There are always going to be new ways to do things better, minimise errors, improve where we find challenges and the exciting prospect of probably being exposed to these improvements is something I look forward to. I also think that new material combinations and natural resources being used within manufacture will require research and development to improve our changing futures.

Would you recommend Membership with The Welding Institute and why?

I have been and will continue to be a promoter of The Welding Institute. The knowledge and diversity within the Institute’s community is unmatched globally, in my opinion.

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

Your attitude is the most important thing in your career. Stay positive even when things are going wrong and the challenge seems unsurmountable. Always value your integrity highly and continue to show respect to everyone and everything (it all has value) - this will continue to keep you grounded. Talent without effort, never beats someone putting in the hard work required, hard work beats talent every time. Give the task in front of you the full attention it deserves. Pause before responding; think about what you are going to say, especially during heated or uncomfortable situations. Sometimes your career finds you.

Over the last century, The Welding Institute has welcomed over 55 presidents. As well-respected experts within their respective fields, the honorary role of president, involves developing and expanding the influence of The Welding Institute.

Current President

In September 2022, Professor Dame Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS was appointed by The Welding Institute Council as president.

Baroness Brown is the first female president of The Welding Institute, representing a significant milestone in our century-long history.

Baroness Brown has made significant contributions to the STEM industry, alongside her achieving an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in Fracture Mechanics. She has accrued expertise in her field leading to her achieving many accolades in recognition including the Grunfeld,  John Collier, Lunar Society, Constance Tipper, Bengough, Kelvin and Leonardo da Vinci medals; as well as the Erna Hamburger Prize and the 2012 President's Prize of the Engineering Professors' Council. These contributions are not limited to academic and professional but also philanthropic, with her involvement in chairing the Science and Technology Select Committee, the Carbon Trust, STEM Learning Ltd and the Adaptation Committee of Climate Change Committee.

Whilst also gaining knowledge in her field, she has shared her expertise with students and peers; with preceding roles including a decade spent as the Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, being the Principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College, London, and holding senior business and engineering posts at Rolls-Royce plc.

Term of office	Name
1923-1925	Sir R Rylands-Bart
1925-26	Charles Bingham
1926-28	Professor F C Thompson
1928-29	Lewis J Yeoman
1929-30	A L Haggerty
1930-31	L M Fox
1931-32	W R J Britten
1932-33	A E Shorter, MBE
1933-34	E A Atkins
1934-35	C W Hill
1935-37	Sir Alexander Gibb GBE, CB
1937-42	Sir William Larke, KBE
1942-44	Sir Ralph Freeman
1994-46	W W Watt, CBE
1946-47	A Dyson
1947-48	J L Adam CBE
1948-49	J H Patterson
1949-50	O V S Bulleid, CBE
1950-51	C S Milne
1951-52	Howard J Thompson
1952-54	A Robert Jenkins JP
1954-55	R G Braithwaite
1955-56	R G Weddell
1956-58	Sir Charles S Lillicrap, KCB, MBE
1958-59	J Strong
1959-60	E Seymor-Semper
1960-61	E Fuchs
1961-62	H West
1962-63	W Barr, OBE
1963-65	L Redshaw
1965-66	Prof J G Ball
1966-67	Nicol Gross
1967-68	J F Lancaster
1968-71	Sir Kenneth Hague
1971-73	Prof Sir John Baker, OBE FRS
1973-75	A Robert Jenkins, CBE JP
1975-77	Sir Ralph Freeman, CVO, CBE
1977-79	Sir Leonard Redshaw
1979-81	M M Pennell, CBE, FRS
1981-83	Sir Dennis Rooke, CBE, FRS, FEng
1983-85	Sir Hugh Ford, FRS, FREng
1985-87	D R Lomer, CBE
1987-89	Rt Hon Lord Gregson
1989-90	Sir Monty Finniston, FRS, FEng
1991-93	Sir Robert Easton, CBE
1993-95	J G Collier
1995-98	Prof Sir B Crossland, CBE, FRS, FEng
1998-00	Professor B G Neal, FEng
2000-02	Prof B Mellitt, FREng
2002-04	Prof R Boucher, CBE, FREng
2004-06	Prof M F Burdekin, FREng FRS FWeldI
2006-08	Rt Hon the Lord Trefgarne PC
2008-11	Richard Sadler FREng FWeldI
2011-2014	John Baxter, FREng FRSE FWeldI
2014 - 2016	Bertil Pekkari HonFWeldI
2017 - 2019	Steve Dearden
2019 - 2022	Dave Holmes
2022 - current	Baroness Brown DBE FRS FRAeS FInstP CEng FREng