Senior Certified Welding Inspector

After you've been a CWI for a minimum of six years, and your career has evolved into supervisory or managerial responsibilities in the field of quality control/quality assurance, you will want to apply for the highest level of certification: a Senior Certified Welding Inspector, or SCWI.  SCWIs are in demand by companies looking to have it all-skilled, seasoned welding managers who can do the job and supervise others.

The SCWI is an individual who is in a supervisory position and has attained a higher level of experience than a CWI. The successful applicant also has professional education which has provided the opportunity to solve problems with a scope and level of difficulty beyond those experienced as a CWI.

Technical Documents

• QC1:2007
  Standard for Certification of Welding Inspectors
• B5.1:2003
  Specification for the Qualification of Welding Inspectors
• SCWI Body of Knowledge

Every CWI who has held CWI certification for a minimum of six years and possesses the requisite 15 years of experience, is not necessarily a candidate for the SCWI exam. Ideal candidates for the SCWI exam have sought out opportunities to expand their careers. Senior Certified Welding Inspector candidates typically will have supplemented their basic education or gained extensive problem-solving experience. Such a background should provide them with a deep and specific understanding of advanced NDE topics, quality systems, procedure qualifications, and other SCWI knowledge areas as identified below.

Experience Requirements
SCWI applicants must document direct work involvement in:

• Design - preparation of plans and drawing for weldments, preparation of inspection procedures, requirements, acceptance criteria.
• Production - planning, control, and supervision of welding materials, procedures and operations.
• Construction - personnel supervision and fabrication or erection of weldments.
• Quality control - detection and measurement of weld discontinuities, procedures, supervision of personnel, specification of QC methods, review of QC programs of vendors.
• Quality assurance - specification of QA methods, review QA programs of vendors, and conducting audits of vendors.
• Examination - examination testing, application of visual or other nondestructive evaluation process.
• Repair - repair of defective welds or supervision of personnel performing repair.

CWI wishing to advance to SCWI at the 9-year recertification
For CWI applicants in your sixth year renewal cycle who wish to pursue and who qualify for SCWI status, you will need to complete an SCWI, CWI & CAWI Renewal & Upgrade Application along with a SCWI application.

For CWI applicants in your ninth year renewal cycle who wish to pursue and who qualify for SCWI status, you will need to complete a CWI 9-Yr Re-Certification Application along with an SCWI application. Your CWI can be re-certified at the 9-yr mark by either taking the Part B Practical Examination or by evidence of continuing education (see QC1:2007, Section 16.3.2 for more information). You may schedule the Part B examination at the same site location that you will be taking the SCWI examination. If you qualify for re-certification via  continuing education, the supporting documents along with the completed exempt application must be submitted at the same time as your SCWI application.

Applicants who are still active CWI's and are not due to expire for at least six months from their desired SCWI testing date, will need to complete the SCWI application only. If you are not successful in passing the SCWI examination, you will maintain your active CWI status until your expiration date. At that time, you must pay the regular renewal/re-certification fees.

SCWI Re-Examination
The SCWI Re-Exam Application is to be used only by those individuals who have taken the AWS SCWI examination, and whose score(s) did not qualify for the SCWI level.

BOTH PARTS OF THE SCWI EXAMINATION MUST BE TAKEN. The SCWI re-examination must be taken WITHIN ONE year following the date of your INITAL exam to keep your application current. AFTER ONE year following your INITIAL exam, you will need to complete a new SCWI Exam Application.

VISUAL ACUITY RECORD
Your Visual Acuity Record that is currently in your certification file cannot be more than (7) months prior to the date of your re-exam. If it is beyond (7) months, you will be required to provide a new Visual Acuity Record.

RE-EXAM FEES
(checks, money orders, major credit cards or company purchase orders)
Please refer to the Certification Price List and Policies for all applicable fees. All checks and money orders are made payable to AWS.  Payment must accompany your application. No certification documentation will be released until payment has been fully satisfied.

PLEASE BE SURE TO VERIFY THE FOLLOWING BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION TO AWS:

• Complete and sign the application.
• the address indicated on the application is where your documents will be mailed.
• Visual Acuity Record.
• Payment included with the application.

Please be advised that you will be notified (6) weeks AFTER your application has been submitted. We strongly urge applicants to please allow the (6) weeks processing time so that AWS may efficiently and accurately serve your certification needs.

If there are any questions or concerns regarding the SCWI Re-Examination process, please feel free to contact the AWS Certification Department at: 1-800-443-9353, ext. 273. Our Certification Coordinators are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

SCWI Renewal
Please be aware that it is your responsibility to renew your certification before it expires. You will not be allowed to renew your certification after the expiration date. In order to re-certify after your certification has expired, you will be required to test on all (3) parts of the CWI Exam.

To qualify for a renewal, all SCWI, and CWI applicants must attest to having no continuous inactivity of two years or greater of the three-year certification period in the practice of welding inspection or related activities as defined in QC1. This work experience must be documented in the Qualifying Work Experience section of the application. Résumés are not acceptable.

Additionally, you must also provide a current Visual Acuity Record with your application. The Visual Acuity Record cannot be more than (7) months prior to the date of your certification expiration. Eye examinations must also be administered by ophthalmic medical personnel.

Renewal Fees
(checks, money orders, major credit cards or company purchase orders)
Please refer to the AWS Certification Price List for all applicable fees. Be sure to complete the Method of Payment section on the application. All checks and money orders should be made payable to AWS. Payment must accompany your application. No renewal or upgrade information will be mailed until payment has been fully satisfied.

Please be sure to do the following before submitting your application to AWS:

• Check the appropriate box indicating the purpose of this application.
• Complete and sign the application (the address indicated on the application is where your documents will be mailed).
• Visual Acuity Record enclosed.
• Application must be notarized.
• Payment must be included with application.