Nine-Year Recertification
Program Information |
Program
Forms and Document Downloads
The
standard application
processing time is 6 weeks. You will be
notified no later than 6 weeks AFTER your application has been
submitted.| CWI
9yr Recertification Program Package |
| If
choosing to purchase an AWS
Exam and Seminar Package that includes
the cost of the seminar and certification exam, you are not
automatically registered to take the test. We must receive your
completed application and review your qualifications to make sure you
are eligible to take the exam. Payments or purchase orders should
accompany applications. Consult the schedules for CWI examinations and
9-year re-certification courses for suitable dates and for the
application submission deadlines if opting for Options 1, 3, 4 or 5. OPTION 1: 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION (PART B EXAM) If this option is chosen, candidates are required to take only the two-hour Part B, Practical Exam. Each candidate is required to review a "Book of Specifications" developed solely for use on this portion of the exam. A copy of this book will be provided to you as a study guide, once examination registration is completed. Feel free to make any notations in this copy when reviewing because you will receive another copy of this same book for your use during the exam. You cannot bring the copy you used for review to the examination. IMPORTANT: Your career may have given you more responsibility in management functions than in "hands-on" inspection. The Part B: Practical Exam will evaluate you in the practical aspects of weld inspection and validate that your skills are current. It is to your advantage to be familiar with fillet and butt weld gauges, micrometers and dial calipers. You should review a variety of weldments that show various levels of porosity, undercut, as well as interpretation of bend samples, groove welds, tee joints and the ability to calculate tensile strengths. The exam will cover the following subject areas: • Weld Procedures • Mechanical Properties • Weld Qualifications • Weld Inspection • Mechanical Test • Weld Discontinuities • Non-Destructive Examination The plastic sample welds you will inspect are examples found in the field that may or may not meet specification. Your responsibility is to determine if the samples meet the acceptance criteria in the "Book of Specifications". AWS offers a preparatory Visual Inspection Workshop (VIW). This workshop may help you prepare for the exam. Also, we can provide an "inspection kit" that has tools similar to those used in the actual exam inspection kit. Refer to the AWS Product Catalog for ordering and pricing information. Unfortunately, you cannot use your own personal inspection tools during the exam. OPTION 2: 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION (EXEMPT BY CONTINUING EDUCATION) This option is for those inspectors who have kept themselves up-to-date in the field of inspection by attending classes and seminars related to the field of welding inspection or the teaching of those subjects. A minimum of 80 contact hours earned during the nine-year certification period, including 20 earned in the final 3-year period is required. A contact hour is no less than 50 minutes of personal interaction between a learner and instructor. Contact implies two-way communication in order for the learner to receive feedback. Following the Education and Experience Requirements of AWS QC1, the course content must be in one or more of the defined subject areas. A maximum of 40 contact hours are allowed for any one course and no course may be repeated for credit within any 9-year period. Certificates of completion, diplomas, or transcripts must be submitted with your application. Trainers who want to substitute teaching hours for student hours shall submit documentation of the hours of training performed and course curriculum. Beyond the subject areas listed in the QC1, seminars and courses offered by training organizations and in-house programs may be accepted if they meet the requirements stated QC1. AWS nationally sponsored courses and seminars are acceptable towards educational requirements when promotional literature and Certificates of Completion indicate hours granted for CWI 9-year re-certification. OPTION 3: 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION COURSE (NO EXAM) If your busy work schedule has not allowed you to accumulate any credit contact hours, this seminar may be of great option for you. It is an intensive six-day course that provides a "back-to-basics" refresher. The six-day course begins with an information skills assessment, which identifies the fundamental knowledge to be covered in the course. The course combines pre-course study with daytime and evening sessions, directed studies, homework, and other activities. In addition, an interactive forum is an integral part of each day. The interactive nature of the exercise requires participants to be prepared to discuss one or more real-world problems encountered on the job. These presentations by your peers provide an opportunity for the group to discuss inspection problems encountered on a day-to-day basis. OPTION: 4: CWI 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION (BY SUPPLEMENTAL INSPECTION EXAM [ENDORSEMENT]) A new option for 9-year re-certification is to take a supplemental inspection exam (endorsement) offered by AWS on a number of codebooks and NDT areas. Such an exam may be taken any time during the 9-year certification or near the end of the 9-year certification. OPTION: 5: CWI 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATIONS SEEKING SENIOR CERTIFICATION WELDING INSPECTOR (SCWI) STATUS CWIs who are in their ninth year of the certification cycle, who wish to pursue, and who qualify for SCWI status, will need to complete a 9-Year Re-Certification Application along with an SCWI Exam Application. The CWI status can be re-certified by using one of the previously noted options. If opting for Option 1 (Part B Exam), the Part B, Practical Exam may be scheduled at the same site as the SCWI examination. If qualified for re-certification via the continuing education route, the supporting documents along with the completed 9-Year Re-Certification Application (EXEMPT) must be submitted at the same time as the SCWI Exam Application. |