mig welder trying to get into fcaw

[guzziguy]

hi guys (and ladies)incase there are any female members,as yer probably aware im a newbie to the forum,currently an unemployed mig welder having been made redundant oct/08 through drop in orders for cherry picker lifts,currently looking for new employment and most of the positions are for shipbuilding with fcaw experience off which ive not got any tried looking for some courses local to me with no luck as yet,so any help would be appreciated im in lincs just so you know,any advice on what codings i require will also be great,sadly the government wont pay for any retraining despite what G.B an his people say

 

[zzr1200]

Hi guzziguy, welcome to the site, sorry to hear about you being made reduntant, I take it you worked for Genie?

 

[guzziguy]

hi zzr12oo right town wrong company lol,worked for a company who made most off the parts for nifty lift,my main job there was to tack the caps on the booms,then weld them using a semi automatic seam track welder,even genie have made redundancies,its getting so frustrating with all the welding jobs advertised @ the mo are for fcaw,theres 15 welders required in fife but need fcaw,i just think the government arent doing enough for those who want to work,i can see myself being forced into taking a poorly paid job in a warehouse or summat or lose my dole money @ this rate

 

[zzr1200]

Arr, Sh*tty Lift's are always pain in the ****, its a pity their design is so poor in places, compared to Genie's and JLG's products.

Could you not try getting on a business start up scheme, and work for yourself fabricating/repairing cages, deck extension for small independent access companies and possible forklift welding repairs.

Sh*tty Lift HR12 cages are a rip-off price wise new and with a long delivery time.

 

[guzziguy]

i take it you have probably had dealings or used genie or nifty lifts before then zzr or does the reputation proceed both lol,to be honest i dont think nows the time to try starting up on your own,plus to be honest although ive got 30yrs in the engineering game covering a wide range off skills including profiling,welding (obviously)metal polishing/finishing to name a few,ive not got the greatest self believe(through years of various supervisors/managers being a*seholes)its like everything finding something that will sell and cost very little to make and in quick time,whilst im not working im trying to come up with a simple stand for my guzzi in the hope off possibly making a few quid,im guessing by your name youve either got a bike or like them???if thats the case you will know just how many different stands there are,unless i can get into fcaw i really think the way the country is @ the moment i,ll end up being sent for any job by the dole office

 

[Mr peepers]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your job but on another note FCAW is great, I take it your talking about innershield? I just assume because you spoke of ship building, I guess you could use dual shield if your working in a generally windless environment. Im a structural fabricator and I generally use dual shield but I am trained in hardwire mig and am quite good with innershield also. Imo FCAW is the way to go, it opens up so many job possiblities if you can get your unlimited all postion cert. I feel that if you can weld with either FCAW process than you can tackle any hardwire project and it will seem like childs-play. The only real advice I can give you is get as good as you can in all positions, most of all vertical up-hill and overhead, once those are well learned the other positions will be cake.

For a trained welder this stuff should be no problem. FCAW is tempramental it will dump out quick and burn through half inch plate fast if you don't have your machine set right. Some companies are replacing 7018 stick rod with 232 innershield, it has the same tensile strength and takes nowhere near as long for the same job, if you can weld FCAW jobs will open up for you. I don't know if this has helped but its my 2 cents.

 

[TechnicAl]

In the UK most FCAW is gas shielded, as far as I am aware ALL shipbuilding is gas shielded FCAW.

Innershield is largely restricted to civil work, bridges, stadia etc

If you can find a training centre I believe that the dole office will pay for the course if there is a realistic chance of a job at the end of it. I would find a centre and talk to them.

I think most of the jobs that are showing are only available because the rates are low (for coded FCAW welders).

 

[guzziguy]

the dole office wont pay for any courses as ive already asked them,thats if i could find somewhere to do it,so far the only place ive found is the twi in cambridge near where i used to live but youre talking serious money the course cost ranges from £110.00 for bs 4872 upto £350.00 for asme 9 plus £150.00 per day your there along with £50.00 for materials used,im glad you think £17.00 an hour is low,im currently surviving on £8.55 per day thats for food,electric the lot and living in a caravan on my sisters driveway with no hope off getting a council place and it doesnt help hearing about those idiots @ rbs and the others trying for a bonus,my bonus to them would be a taste of my life @ the moment along with a verbal volley and a good pasting,i best get off my soap box,but it looks like all my time @ college learning a new trade/skill having previously been a metal polisher is going to go to waste

 

[kev234]

Hi guzziguy this is just my humble opinion but I think the money spent on training will be very well spent. I work offshore (not as a welder) and constantly see adverts for asme 9 welders and you will easily get over £17. Also if you set up as a limited company you can offset any start up and training costs against your tax burden.
Kev

 

[guzziguy]

like ive said previously id work for a lot less than £17.00 just for somebody to give me a chance and retrain me @ the end off the day i feel confident that id soon meet the requirements its not as if i,ve got no previous welding experience,its my signing on day tomorrow @ the dole office i,ll give it one more go to get them to confirm one way or the other if i can get the course paid for by the government(not that i hold much hope)

 

[kev234]

Good luck guzziguy I hope you get something out of them. I also thought TWI run courses in Sheffield and somewhere in the North East.
Let us know how you get on.
Kev

 

[guzziguy]

as i suspected no chance off government paying for the training despite what the idiot in no10 says,the job centre havent got any funds to cover retraining as off yet anyway,and if they will pay for retraining you have to be unemployed for @ 6 months and its very doubtful the government will cover the cost especially those from the twi,just wish i was a bank executive cause i could award myself a nice bonus for doing a sh*te job lmfao sums up this country

 

[TechnicAl]

My youngest has been made redundant and Im sick of him hanging round the house so I have enrolled him on an Electricians course. I asked these people and they helped me get him on it free of charge

http://careersadvice-findacourse1.direct.gov.uk/pls/hot_ca/ld_all_home.page_pls_all_home_adv

He is a qualified Electrician already but he has been trying for jobs and getting nowhere so I (he) decided he might as well do some more training. Actually MadKayaker suggested it.

They also said that if he wanted to go elsewhere and they couldnt get it cheap / free they would lend him the money and he didnt have to pay it back ubtil he was working again.

 

[guzziguy]

cheers for the link technical,i know one thing the dole office will say if i find a suitable course and that is if i sign up for a course it could effect my claim as im not leaving myself available for work as ive had that problem b4 when i was unemployed and willing to retrain,its just frustrating seem to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back,yet again welders required in pompey an cause ive not got the right experience/qualifications not gonna get a sniff,i feel sure given my length off welding experience i could quickly get upto the requirements needed,had a quick search on that website and looks like they do most welding but NOT fcaw

 

[weldequip]

It's a very sad situation indeed to me when a highly skilled guy can't get a job. Guzziguy, I think if you were trained as a management consultant, or some other non productive type (maybe a banker...or is that W***er!), you wouldn't be short.
The system stinks
Very best of luck.
weldequip

 

[weldequip]

We can't go there Guzzi
You are just as entitled to go over to Poland seeking work you know.
Keep lucking, something will come along, the world won't just stop.
Best of luck.
weldequip