Welding Apprenticeship

[Keiron Mackeod]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and joined primarily to ask this question. I've been desperate for a welding apprenticeship for about two months after getting some minimal experience. What i would like to know is, What is the best approach to getting a welding job/apprenticeship. Do i go to a local fabrication company? Do i wait for an apprenticeship somewhere? Please keep in mind i live in the UK so internation options are not possible. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Keiron Mackeod]

Ok, ill defiantly conciser it, thanks for the quick reply.

 

[Jim Davey]

Would you consider a move down further down South where the opportunities might be a little better/frequent?

 

[Brad93]

Portsmouth would be a good shout. Doosan Babcock in Kent have a decent programme.
BAE.
Heatric/Thermalec

 

[dab4318]

Where abouts are you from? (Sorry if I've missed this info somewhere?)

 

[dab4318]

profile says : Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom

Ah thanks I didn't dig deep enough on his profile. There's loads of welding apprenticeships in Herefordshire.

 

[Brad93]

I'd move away from your local area. Get to see somewhere different for a few years. Wish I'd done it when I was younger. I'd liked to have gone down to the south coast.

 

[Kent]

Get out call at firms early morning best before the boss ends up out on a job. Make a list and visit each and every one.
Next option call on the place that does the actual college side for them. Phone first get a name but call over and ask for them.
Good luck to be fair unless you can get into a good firm that does higher grade work your likely going to need to find better if you don't want a life of low grade pay

 

[Brad93]

Solid advice from Kent there.
Hence why I suggested bigger companies that specialise in energy, petrochemical, defence. Very easy to go and work for peanuts for 3-4 years, and come out with a bit of paper and a job that only pays £8/h.

At least if you go somewhere that does things properly you will have that company name on your CV and hopefully learnt a few tricks of the trade.

Where you don't want to end up is somewhere where you spend a year tacking up in a jig, a year running an automated MIG on a beam track, and then a year doing a bit of everyday fabricating and welding, which is what I saw some poor lad doing the other week.

The boss turned around and said to me, well he is only costing me £4 an hour so i dont need to improve the process or make it faster.

 

[Kent]

Solid advice from Kent there.
Hence why I suggested bigger companies that specialise in energy, petrochemical, defence. Very easy to go and work for peanuts for 3-4 years, and come out with a bit of paper and a job that only pays £8/h.

At least if you go somewhere that does things properly you will have that company name on your CV and hopefully learnt a few tricks of the trade.

Where you don't want to end up is somewhere where you spend a year tacking up in a jig, a year running an automated MIG on a beam track, and then a year doing a bit of everyday fabricating and welding, which is what I saw some poor lad doing the other week.

The boss turned around and said to me, well he is only costing me £4 an hour so i dont need to improve the process or make it faster.

How does he get away with £4 an hour? Wonder if he even gets the concept of on cost pay. I am trying not to use bad words but people like this should not run a firm

 

[Brad93]

How does he get away with £4 an hour? Wonder if he even gets the concept of on cost pay. I am trying not to use bad words but people like this should not run a firm

Apparentice wage for under 19's is £3.50 per hour. Legal and above board.

 

[Kent]

Apparentice wage for under 19's is £3.50 per hour. Legal and above board.

Jeeze, not surprisingly the quality of applicants is lower than it was. I got £38 a week though £250 was the better than average fully skilled rate then.

 

[EAZEE]

Ok keiron-mackeod. this is what I do for a living. There are a few ways to do this.
Firstly, you need to find a company that are looking to employ an apprentice. They may advertise or you can try getting your CV together and cold calling companies to see if they are looking.

The second option is what we do at our place but, unfortunately we are based in England. You look for an apprenticeship broker. They deal directly with the colleges for training and the companies that are looking for welding apprentices or they have their own training facility like we do. They basically get you a job and deal with your training at the same time.

Lastly you can go straight to your local college and if you do well they may be able to find you a placement. Many colleges do the training and have the apprenticeship broker side too.

I found this training company for apprentices in Scotland but know nothing about them bud but, hope you get lucky.

Nigg Skills Academy
Nigg Energy Park
Ross-shire
IV19 1QY
Scotland

 

[Kent]

Yeah, bipass the first stage in what a proper boss would see as a worthwhile lad who can get off the sofa. Is this the way now?

 

[zeppelin builder]

get yourself down to global project services invergordon jackie waddel hr or rachel lauder or ask for tonto at crc evans in the wick spoolbase nice people

 

[zeppelin builder]

Apparentice wage for under 19's is £3.50 per hour. Legal and above board.

crc evans was around 360 a shift if you could perform for months nonstop maybe 100 bws plus a day big bucks big production some young guys hit the 100k a year true superstars on the 5g inconel usualy

 

[zeppelin builder]

[QUOTE="EAZEE, post: 1021812, member: 22164"h]Ok keiron-mackeod. this is what I do for a living. There are a few ways to do this.
Firstly, you need to find a company that are looking to employ an apprentice. They may advertise or you can try getting your CV together and cold calling companies to see if they are looking.

The second option is what we do at our place but, unfortunately we are based in England. You look for an apprenticeship broker. They deal directly with the colleges for training and the companies that are looking for welding apprentices or they have their own training facility like we do. They basically get you a job and deal with your training at the same time.

Lastly you can go straight to your local college and if you do well they may be able to find you a placement. Many colleges do the training and have the apprenticeship broker side too.

I found this training company for apprentices in Scotland but know nothing about them bud but, hope you get lucky.

Nigg Skills Academy
Nigg Energy Park
Ross-shire
IV19 1QY
Scotland[/QUOTE]
biggest fabrication yard in scotland massive sheds employed over 3000 men at its peak after lying dormant for a few years it was aquired by GLOBAL ENERGY GROUP and has been heavily invested in and is a top facility for wind and wave power projects ,also rig repair /refurb a very professional outfit with a local highly skilled management , work a bit sporadic due to the oil downturn but leaders in wind and wave energy good payers too even got there own football team ROSS COUNTY

 

[Kent]

I do think UK engineering will be in for a boost long term if all come to plan.

 

[matt1978]

Have a look on here

https://www.ecitb.org.uk/Apprenticeships-Careers/Apprenticeships

I did a 4 year apprenticeship at Babcock's in Tipton, it was run by ECITB and NASEC

Problem with training welders is that it's very expensive (to do it properly) due to the teaching time, raw material costs and NDT costs so firms are reluctant to make the investment but something like I did was a national scheme sponsored by the industry as a whole and there was lads on the apprenticeship from all over the country. They paid for your accommodation and your return travel costs once a month.

Excellent training and I still consider myself very lucky to of been given the oppertunity all of those years ago.

 

[Brad93]

Have a look on here

https://www.ecitb.org.uk/Apprenticeships-Careers/Apprenticeships

I did a 4 year apprenticeship at Babcock's in Tipton, it was run by ECITB and NASEC

Problem with training welders is that it's very expensive (to do it properly) due to the teaching time, raw material costs and NDT costs so firms are reluctant to make the investment but something like I did was a national scheme sponsored by the industry as a whole and there was lads on the apprenticeship from all over the country. They paid for your accommodation and your return travel costs once a month.

Excellent training and I still consider myself very lucky to of been given the oppertunity all of those years ago.

Ah that's why you're so good with a torch then Matt! Babcock is supposed to be very good for its apprenticeships.