Automation
is the current trend in all fields and is replacing the need for large
workforces. The Bureau of Labor released a study in 1996 stating that
welders, cutters and machine operators held about 453,000 jobs. The
location of the jobs was in the automobile and fabricated metal
product, and petroleum or chemical product manufacturing industrial
regions.
Robots
and other automated welding techniques have been widely employed all
over the world. Due to this, the level of jobs remained at the same
level, even when there was increase in the production. Manual welders,
especially those with a wide variety of skills, will increasingly be
needed for sophisticated fabrication tasks that do not lend themselves
to automation.
As
the welders’ occupation covers different portfolios, the standard
qualifications expected by different portfolios are distinct. Each
certification is done with the specialization branch code. The National
Certification and Testing Bureau issues certificates to codes like AWS,
structural, bridges, cranes, and other equipment. The ASME (American
Society of Mechanical Engineers) issues certification for boilers,
pressure vessels, power piping, and process piping. The ABS (American
Bureau of Shipping) certifies shipbuilding welders, boiler, bridges,
overpasses, dams, and aerospace equipment. Non-union beginners and
trainees earn minimum wages of about $12 per hour. Union jobs pay
higher wages. Apprentices earn a percentage of journey-level wages. The
City of Los Angeles Department of building safety offers the practical
training certifications.
The
American Welding Society is a nonprofit professional association.
Membership benefits include industry updates through publications,
networking opportunities at local meetings, and online listings of job
opportunities.
Additional
benefits include educational programs such as the certified welder
performance-based program. This tests people on procedures used in the
structural steel, petroleum pipelines, sheet metal and chemical
refinery welding industries. The test fee is $30. They also provide
CD-ROM welding courses/modules at a cost of around $60. The individual
membership dues are $75 with a one-time initiation fee of $12.
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