YOUR PATH TO BECOMING

A WELDING ENGINEER

www.gsi-slv.de
 CONTENTS
1. Introduction

2. The profession of welding engineer

3. Entry requirements for the welding

engineer training course

4. Welding engineer training course outline

5. Cost of the training

6. Starting the training

7. The GSI SLV – a strong partner

8. Career prospects for welding engineers

GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg

1. INTRODUCTION
School, studies, learning. A never-ending process to
become professionally successful: Continuing ­education
is the be-all and end-all when it comes to ­getting
ahead in your profession. This is especially true in
­technological and innovative environments and for
major trends such as smart factory and d ­ igitalisation.
Specialising in a particular field has many benefits:
you’re not just one of many, you’re the go-to person
when it comes to meeting very specialised require-
ments. Potentially earning a higher salary is certainly
also a reason to consider further training.
The possibilities for development are varied. When you
finish your engineering studies, there are many different
specialisation options to choose from, one of which
is welding engineer training. As is so often the case,
however, there are many questions to be answered
first. These are usually the famous W’s (and how) that
we’re all familiar with from our school days: What?
Who? How? Where? When? Why? What for?
■ What does a welding engineer actually do?
■ Who can train to become a welding engineer?
■ Where can you do the training?
■ How do you become a welding engineer?
■ How much does it cost to become
a welding engineer?
■ When does the welding engineer training start?
■ Why train at the GSI SLV?
■ Why should you train to become
a welding engineer?
But unlike at school, it’s not you who has to give
answers – we will answer all your questions about
training to become an International Welding Engineer
(IWE). We explain everything about the process, the
duration, the locations, the partners and future career
prospects.

GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg

2.
THE PROFESSION OF
WELDING ENGINEER
What does a welding engineer actually do? From the
design to the manufacturing stages, engineers with
comprehensive welding knowledge are required to
tackle the multiple challenges involved in building
­
bridges, pressure vessels, boilers, steel-framed
building constructions, vehicles for water, air, space,
rails and roads, as well as in machine, system and
pipeline engineering. Your work isn’t just varied, it’s
vitally important too.

As a welding engineer, you take on planning and

­executive tasks. Because projects often run over l­onger
periods of time, a welding engineer’s working life will also
change at regular intervals. Your employers may be very
different. In the construction sector, you’ll be dealing
with skyscrapers and bridges, maybe even tunnels and
rail tracks as well as other infrastructure-related units
of traffic route engineering, or you’ll develop welding
processes for the latest demo vehicles of well-known
automotive manufacturers. In large industrial systems,
you’ll look after giant tanks, pipeline systems or the 3.
air conditioning. From filling stations to factories and
hotels – you’ll work in lots of different places. Whether in
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR
production halls, pipeline assembly or repair works on oil THE WELDING ENGINEER
rigs, being a welding engineer will take you to ­interesting
places and pose many different challenges.
TRAINING COURSE
Who can train to become a welding engineer? In order to
And what’s expected of a welding engineer? General
be eligible, you must have a Bachelor of Engineering or
and specialist technical knowledge relevant to the tasks
Bachelor of Science degree in a technical subject area.
assigned and the products to be manufactured (e.g.
The relevant certificates must be issued by an institute
construction of cranes, pressure vessels or rail vehicles,
of higher education (university), an institute of technology
etc.).
(university) or a university of applied sciences.
You also need good people and methodology skills,
because welding engineers can also quickly become
a responsible welding supervisor and thus a manager.

GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg

4.
STRUCTURE OF THE WELDING
ENGINEER TRAINING
How do you become a welding engineer? And how long does it take? The training
is divided into 3 modular parts and 4 topical focus areas and comprises a total of
448 hours of teaching (not including the exams).

PART 1: THEORY INTERIM EXAM PART 2: PART 3: THEORY FINAL EXAM

(93 hours) (2 hours) PRACTICAL (295 hours) (7 hours)
100 % distance EXERCISES Blended learning
learning at home (60 hours) (50 % distance
100 % classroom learning at home
learning / Duisburg, plus 50 % classroom
Germany learning / Duisburg,
Germany)

GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg

CONTENTS:
PARTS 1 AND 3 – THEORY
The first and third part of the welding engineer t­raining Module 3 – Construction and calculation
are theory-based and can therefore be taken in
e-learning format or on site. So no matter where you Designing and assessing statically and dynamically
live, no matter the city or country, you can start your stressed parts, the fundamentals of the strength of ma-
welding engineer training with the GSI SLV anywhere. terials and calculating the weld seam: design principles
of welded constructions, welded joints and weld seam
Module 1 – Welding processes and illustrations, behaviour of welded components with
equipment different loads; welded constructions for predominantly
static, dynamic or temperature-influenced loads; welded
Welding power sources, shielded metal arc welding,
aluminium constructions, fracture mechanics.
metal inert gas welding, gas tungsten arc welding,
plasma arc welding, submerged arc welding, electric
resistance welding, oxy-fuel welding, specialised welding Module 4 – Manufacturing and
methods, plastic welding, thermal cutting, mechanisation/ application engineering
robot welding, soldering, thermal spraying.
Quality assurance in the welding shop, ­manufacturer
qualifications, welding procedure qualification, welder
Module 2 – Materials and qualification test, residual stresses and deformation
their behaviour in welding in welded components, assessment of welding im-
perfections, ­non-destructive testing of materials, weld
Production and standardisation of steels, the basics of
inspection, efficiency, workshop equipment, repair
metallurgy, heat treatment, welding suitability of alloyed
welding, occupational health and safety, accident
and high-alloyed steels as well as aluminium, copper and
prevention, case studies.
nickel materials, destructive materials and weld seam
testing, welding special metals and different materials,
mixed compounds. Metallography, lab exercises.

GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg


E-learning
Because Part 1 of the training is theory-based, it can
be completed via e-learning. Because Part 2 includes
practical topics, this phase must be completed on
site at the SLV Duisburg. Part 3 can be completed via
e-learning. The training can therefore be structured
precisely to suit your needs.
Advantages of e-learning
■ Flexibility in terms of time and location
■ No travel time or costs
■ No need to stress about scheduling or time
■ Take the classes whenever you want
■ During the on-site phases, you can consolidate
your knowledge and get to know the lecturers
and your fellow trainees in person
■ Theoretical knowledge is put into practice in lab
exercises and case studies
GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg
CONTENTS: PART 2 –
PRACTICAL EXERCISES
The second part of the welding engineer training must
be taken in person at the SLV Duisburg.
Oxy-fuel welding, shielded metal arc welding, metal inert
gas welding, gas tungsten arc welding, introduction to
other special welding processes
In this part, you’ll gain extensive practical knowledge,
which will give you a significant insight into the high
level of manual skills needed for welding and the
resulting measures for production and assembly.
An example
You are currently working in Barcelona. You can complete
the first part of the training via distance learning.
You then complete the second, practical part at the
SLV Duisburg. But, after Part 2, you have to go back to
Barcelona. No problem – you can simply complete Part
3 via our e-learning programme.
The different parts of the training can be taken at
different times but the entire training course must be
completed within three years.
5.
COST OF THE TRAINING
And how much does it cost to become an IWE?
Generally, the training costs €14,700.
An example
You want to complete the first and third part of the
training via distance learning.
Part 1 via e-learning including exam €2,530
Part 2 at the SLV Duisburg €1,380
Part 3 via blended learning €10,790
As you can see, you can tailor your course to your own
requirements.
6.
STARTING THE TRAINING
When does the welding engineer training start? The
e-learning parts can be started at any time.
GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg
7.
THE GSI SLV – A STRONG
PARTNER
Why train with the GSI SLV? Our extensive education
and training expertise makes GSI a reliable partner for
companies that rely on qualified and certified personnel.
And when employees want to independently progress
their development and career, the GSI is the first port of
call too.
The GSI-Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International
mbH (GSI SLV) is a market leader in its field of e
­ ducation
and training thanks to its methods expertise. It is a
reliable partner for certifications, damage assessments,
tests series, and for developments and approvals.
The activities of GSI can be divided into four different
areas, represented by the specialist groups Education
and Training, Quality Assurance, Materials Technology,
and Research and Development.
8.
CAREER PROSPECTS FOR
WELDING ENGINEERS
Why should you train to become a welding engineer? In many areas of welding construction, calculation and
Put simply, welding engineers don’t just get the ­chance preparation, the International Welding Engineer quali-
to immerse themselves in many different working fication represents a welcome additional qualification.
environments, they can also work in many different Thanks to the interdisciplinary focus of this further
sectors all around the world. training, this additional qualification is increasingly
in demand in other, non-regulated sectors, such as
The International Welding Engineer qualification is a useful
mechanical and automotive engineering.
extension of your engineering studies and covers topics
relating to joining technology and in particular welding For a better overview, here are the main advantages of
technology. Thanks to the increasing need for specialist training as a welding engineer at a glance:
skilled workers in the field of joining technology, this further
training is an important step in advancing your own career ■ Career opportunities at international level
development. Above all, qualified welding engineers are ■ Job opportunities in many different sectors
internationally recognised and valued.
■ Welding engineer is an in-demand specialist
They enjoy secure employment, because the job comes
with great responsibility. ■ Shortage of specialists means excellent
employment prospects
The need for qualified welding and joining professionals is
huge, so employment prospects are excellent. And more ■ Opportunities to become a welding supervisor
importantly – the IWE is indispensable! In manufacturing
■ Higher salary
companies, depending on the sector, an in-house IWE
is sometimes even mandatory. In particular, these in- ■ Continuing professional development
clude manufacturers of steel components, rail vehicles,
of offshore and aerospace products, components for Through this, you will acquire key competencies that
pressure vessels or pipelines, as well as plant engineer- will enable you, on both a national and international
ing companies in the chemical industry and power level, to plan and monitor the production of welded
plant construction sector. components and to manage these manufacturing
facilities yourself.
Operating as a manufacturing shop in this interesting and
diverse field requires a designated welding ­supervisor
whose expertise enables them to take responsibility for
ensuring the required high quality standards.

GSI – Gesellschaft für Schweißtechnik International mbH ■ Bismarckstraße 85 ■ 47057 Duisburg