QC1:2006 Standard for AWS Certification of Welding Inspectors
This is a summary of some of the changes that will be occurring with the implementation of the new QC1:2006 Standard of AWS Certification of Welding Inspectors. Please be aware that at this time, candidates may choose to follow either the 1996 or the 2006 standard; however, beginning January 1, 2007 the QC1:2006 standard will be mandatory.

Beginning January 1, 2007, a Certified Associate Welding Inspector (CAWI) will no longer be able to renew or re-certify at the CAWI level. CAWLs must retest and score at the certified welding inspector's cutoff of 72% in order to retain any certification.

Listed below are (4) re-certification options for your consideration, including the possibility of re-certifying without testing provided you qualify using your educational experience in the field of welding:

OPTION 1: 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION:

(9-Year Re-Certification - EXAM)
Allow 6 weeks to process your certification application. Contacting AWS before your 6 weeks is up will delay the application process.

Candidates for 9-year re-certification 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
• Welding 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 regional one-week preparatory course that includes a Visual Inspection Workshop (VIW). This seminar, and especially the workshop, may help you prepare for the exam. If you do not want to attend the full week's seminar, you may register for the VIW only. Also, we can provide an "inspection kit" that has tools similar to those used in the actual exam inspection kit. Refer to the enclosed Publications Catalog for ordering and pricing information. Unfortuantely, you cannot use your own personal inspection tools during the exam.

OPTION 2: 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION (EXEMPT):

(9-Year Re-Certification - EXEMPT)
Allow 6 weeks to process your certification application. Contacting AWS before your 6 weeks is up will delay the application process.

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 (40) 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 the QC1:96, the course content must be in one or more of the subject areas as defined. A maximum of (40) contact hours are allowed for any one course and no course may be repeated for credit within any 3-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 offerings listed in the QC1:96, seminars and courses offered by training organizations and in-house programs may be accepted if they meet the requirements as stated in Section 12.2.1 in the QC1:96. AWS nationally sponsored courses and seminars where promotional literature and Certificates of Completion indicate hours granted for CWI 9-year re-certification are acceptable towards educational requirements.

OPTION 3: 9-YEAR RE-CERTIFICATION COURSE (NO EXAM):

(9-Year Re-Certification - COURSE)
Allow 6 weeks to process your certification application. Contacting AWS before your 6 weeks is up will delay the application process.

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-tobasics" 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-CERTIFICATIONS SEEKING SENIOR CERTIFICATION WELDING INSPECTOR (SCWI) STATUS:
For CWI applicants in your ninth year re-certification cycle who wish to pursue and who qualify for SCWI status, you will need to complete a 9-Year Re-Certification Application along with an SCWI Exam Application. Your CWI can be re-certified at the 9-year mark by either taking the Part B: Practical Exam or by evidence of continuing education as described in Section 12.2.2, in the QC1:96. You may schedule the Part B: Practical Exam at the same site location that you will be taking the SCWI examination. If you qualify 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 your SCWI Exam Application. However, you will still only be required to pay for the SCWI Exam Application fee.

If you choose 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 Schedule~Seminars, Examinations, 9-yr Re-Certification Courses for the Application Submission Deadline date. It will also list the seminar and 9-year re-certification dates and locations.

The standard application processing time is (6) weeks. Please be advised that you will be notified (6) weeks AFTER your application has been submitted. Contacting the AWS Certification Business Unit BEFORE the (6) week period will delay the application processing time and further hinder the receipt of your certification materials. We strongly urge applicants to please allow the (6) weeks processing time so that we may efficiently and accurately serve your certification needs.

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