Endorsements are supplemental inspection credentials available to all AWS Certified Welding Inspectors (CWIs) and Senior Certified Welding Inspectors (SCWIs).

Endorsements do not change a CWI’s or SCWI’s status (past or present) as a Certified Welding Inspector. If a CWI or SCWI does not wish to take any of these supplemental inspection exams to acquire such endorsements, that does not change his/her status with AWS as a Certified Welding Inspector.

Endorsements enhance a welding inspector’s credentials not supplant them.

Endorsements were created to broaden an inspector’s credentials, possibly permitting performance of inspections from which he/she was previously excluded due to customer or jurisdictional requirements.

AWS offers two structural inspection exams for individuals; these are the Structural Drawing Reading Endorsement and the Structural Bolting Inspection Endorsement. If you are a CWI or SCWI and work in structural applications, you should consider adding these certifications to your credentials.

Committee-approved endorsements are another means by which CWIs and SCWIs may satisfy the examination and/or continuing education requirements for CWIs and SCWIs at their nine-year recertification. All codebook endorsements satisfy the requirements of SCWI/CWI 9-year recertification by previous endorsement with the exception of Structural Bolting.

Important Note: AWS QC1 defines endorsements as "Indication of an additional skill documented in writing and added to one's certification credential(s)". In fullfilling the 9-year recertification requirement, endorsements cannot be taken to the codebook to which your CWI certification was attained.

Endorsements will only be listed on a card that is separate from the inspector’s CWI/SCWI card. It will only list the supplemental inspection exams that the individual passed to attain the endorsement(s). If an individual does not want such a card, none will be provided. A certificate for successfully passing the examination will also be issued.

Endorsements are used by other organizations that offer certification programs. The American Petroleum Institute (API), the National Board of Boiler Inspectors, and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) are examples of organizations that use the endorsement concept for some of their programs.

AWS offers two structural inspection exams for individuals; these are the Structural Drawing Reading Endorsement and the Structural Bolting Inspection Endorsement. If you are a CWI or SCWI and work in structural applications, you should consider adding these certifications to your credentials.

Currently, the following examinations or certification programs may be considered as endorsements for CWIs and SCWIs if the candidate passes the exams. With the exception of AWS Structural Bolting Inspection exam, endorsement exams and the CRI count as full credit for 9-year CWI/SCWI recertification if obtained any time during the current 9-year cycle.

AWS D1.1 Structural Steel *

AWS D1.2 Structural Aluminum *

AWS D1.5 Bridge Welding *

AWS D15.1 Railroad *

API 1104 Pipeline *

AWS D17.1 Aerospace *

AWS Structural Drawing Reading (Closed book)

ASME BPVC Section IX, B31.1, + B31.3 *

ASME BPVC Section VIII, Div. 1 and Section IX *

AWS Certified Radiographic Interpreter (CRI) program (also a stand-alone program and credential)

AWS Structural Bolting Inspection (Open book)

The following examinations are planned and will be offered in the near future:

AWS Penetrant Testing exam (Beta Testing for this exam is now complete and qualifying participants have received their endorsement certification. While this exam is not yet available to the public, we hope to release it by the end of the year. More information on this endorsement certification will be posted on the following page in the near future: http://www.aws.org/certification/endorsement/criteria.html)

This article was prepared in cooperation with the AWS Certification Committee.