2012 Iron Workers/IMPACT North American Labor-Management ...

Ironworkers Clamor for
Final spots in CwI Prep Course
at the Union’s Benicia, Calif.,
Training Center
The Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) Prep & Recertification
Courses, offered Jan. 23–27, filled well before
the class’s registration deadline, despite the California
Department of Transportation’s claim late last year that
a “shortage” of welders and welding inspectors has forced
the state to hire foreign workers to complete welding jobs,
notably on the San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The
Iron Workers Union, with the help of the Ironworker Management
Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT),
also provides a CWI Prep course in St. Louis.
Welding is one of the most demanding skills that an
ironworker can learn. This is true, at least, according to
Brian Colombo, apprenticeship coordinator for Local 377
(San Francisco) and Local 378 (Oakland) in the San Francisco
Bay area.
Colombo qualified his statement rather convincingly,
“You’re probably looking at six months of 40-hour weeks
to earn the welding certifications that are most commonly
used on a typical job.”
While the rigor of the job hasn’t put a damper on ironworkers’
fervor to learn the nuances of this difficult profession,
it has compelled the Iron Workers Union to train
the qualified inspectors needed to teach this most difficult
skill. The union’s 40-hour Certified Welding Inspector
(CWI) Prep & Recertification course, offered at the Benicia,
California training center (the same course is also
offered at the Local 396 Training Center in St. Louis, another
regional apprenticeship training facility) is a necessary
component in meeting this demand.
The CWI prep course prepares students to go forward
and take the American Welding Society’s Certified Welding
Inspector Exam, a three-part test focusing on the
welding codebook, welding fundamentals, and hands-on
inspection.
“The codebook alone is nearly over 500 pages, written
by a lengthy list of experts in the welding industry,”
Colombo explained. “People that have passed have really
achieved something.”
Ironworkers who pass the test become certified welding
inspectors, and, according to Colombo, “bring incredible value
to our signatory contractors, because these guys know all aspects
of the work.” Workers can function in a dual capacity as
ironworker and inspector, whereas many contractors without
access to qualified inspectors must foot the bill to hire
out for inspections. “The ironworkers cut out a huge expense
for contractors. Ironworkers who pass the test and become a
CWI bring a much better understanding of the entire welding
process qualification, metallurgy, and welder training.”
Welders have to maintain incredibly sharp analytical
and physical skills to do their jobs. “When you’re fusing
two pieces of metal together, there is no room for error or
for any discontinuities in your welds. One mistake can
lead to disaster.” To demonstrate the precision ironworker
welders maintain, Colombo added, “Our work, the critical
welds, is often subject to x-ray or ultrasound testing to
make sure they are acceptable.”
This unique course, which filled early this year, saw
some interested ironworkers turned away due its tremendous
popularity.
“Contractors and customers can rest assured that all
of their welding needs can and will be fulfilled by union
ironworkers thanks to our unwavering dedication to superior
training,” said Dick Zampa Jr., state apprenticeship
director, California and Vicinity apprenticeship program.
The ironworkers of Locals 377 and 378 maintain the
highest standards in ironworker training and upgrading,
as do all Iron Workers local unions throughout the
United States and Canada. The field ironworkers’ regional
apprenticeship training facility in Benicia is one of three
of its kind across North America. The union also operates
regional training facilities in St. Louis and New Jersey.
In addition to local training courses in and around Benicia,
the Iron Workers International Union, in conjunction
with Ironworker Management Progressive Action
Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) and the Apprenticeship and
Training Department,
hold an annual weeklong
training program in Ann
Arbor, Michigan for Iron
Worker instructors and
provide $50 million each
year to ironworker training
centers across North
America.
Learn more about
other welding courses at
http://www.ironworkers.
org/training/welding-
certification. It’s also never
too early to prepare for
this year’s Ironworker
Instructor Training Program,
July 11–20, 2012.
A CWI class participant inspects a weld
for defects at the Benicia, California
training facility.
22 THE IRONWORKER