Program Guide

Program Description

The CWB Welding Specialist Mark is a program of the Office of Public Safety. Its primary objective is to provide a visible identifier of an individual’s knowledge of both basic welding fundamentals and of CSA welding standards and their importance in protecting public safety.

This program is not intended to be considered a certification or a professional/technical license or endorsement, and should not be construed as such

Eligibility Requirements

For candidates to be considered eligible for entry into the program, they must meet the specified educational, experience and knowledge requirements.

A. Educational Requirements:

Each candidate applying for the program shall possess one or more of the following educational and/or professional designations:

• BSc or MSc in Welding, Materials, Mechanical or Civil Engineering
• Diploma in Welding, Materials, Mechanical or Civil Engineering Technology
• International Welding Engineer Diploma through the IIW
• International Welding Technologist Diploma through the IIW
• International Welding Specialist Diploma through the IIW
• Certified Welding Inspector under CSA W178.2 (any level)
• Accepted Welding Engineer under CSA W47.1 or W47.2
• Accepted Welding Supervisor under CSA W47.1 or W47.2

The individual must provide proof of the educational/professional designation, unless the designation was issued by the CWB Group.

B. Experience and Knowledge Requirements:

Each candidate applying for the program shall have a minimum of 3 years of working experience in one or more of the following areas:

• welding inspection
• welding supervision
• welding engineering
• welding procedure development
• welder/weld testing
• weld designing or detailing
• welding instruction

The individual must provide proof of any claimed experience, normally through the provision of a resume.

If determined to be eligible for the program, each candidate must provide proof of training in the following areas:

Part 1: Welding Health and Safety
Part 2: Joints, Welding Blueprints
Part 3: Symbols for Welding
Part 4: Welding Processes and Equipment
Part 5: Welding Faults and Causes
Part 6: CSA Standards and Public Safety

Eligible training must be a minimum of 3 hours in length and include an examination. Transcripts and course descriptions are required.

On-line training for Part 6 will be provided for all candidates by the CWB Office of Public Safety at no charge.

Exemptions may be granted for Parts 1 through 5 for individuals holding certain professional designations which would confirm proof of formal training.

Application Process

All candidates meeting the educational, experience and knowledge requirements are required to fill out the online application and upload documents required in PDF format.

Note: confirmation of a candidate’s permission to use personal information is being part of the application process. No other information of a candidate will be released by CWB Group to any other person or organization without having consent from the applicant. Updating of personal info will be available online with no expiration date.

The application must be fully completed. Resumes alone will not be accepted.

Examinations

Completion of the following CWB Institute self-study modules will be considered acceptable as body of knowledge:

Note: former iterations of these modules (e.g. WIC, Gooderham Centre, CWB Learning Centre modules) are acceptable.

Candidates that did not complete the examinations of any of the above modules will be required to write these exams prior to become eligible to challenge the exam required in Part 6 - CSA Standards and Public Safety. Candidates that have completed similar exams of other recognized organization / schools will be informed by the CWB - Office of Public Safety if acceptable for this program. However, proof of transcripts for these alternative exams have to be made available.

Proof of knowledge for Part 6 - CSA Standards & Public Safety will be demonstrated by completion of an online webinar and examination.

The webinar will follow the following subjects:

• CSA Welding Standards
• National and CSA Standards which mandate CSA Welding Standards
• The role of the CWB and government regulators
• How standards protect public safety

Passing mark for the examination is 70%.

If the candidate fails the exam, there is no waiting period to re-write the exam. However, before re-writing the examination, it is strongly recommended that the candidate should take some additional time to re-watch the online webinar about CSA standards & Public Safety. There is no restriction on the number of examinations re-write attempts permitted.

Exemptions for Parts 1 through 5 are permitted based on educational, experience and knowledge proven. No exemptions for Part 6 are permitted.

Acceptance Process

Upon receipt of a candidate’s application by the CWB - Office of Public Safety, it will be reviewed and the candidate will be advised as to whether or not they are eligible to write the examination.

If the CWB - Office of Public Safety determines that the candidate is not eligible to write the welding specialist mark exam the candidate will be advised in writing. However, candidates may reapply at a later date when the experience and/or educational requirements have been fulfilled.

Upon successful completion of all required exams, the candidates will be granted permission to use the title “CWB Welding Specialist” and the associated “mark”. Each candidate will be granted a unique number.

The CWB Welding Specialists will be permitted to use the mark as part of their “signature” on correspondence, business cards, etc. Also, if agreed during the application process, they will be listed on the CWB Office of Public Safety as a mark holder.

Extension

The original approval as “CWB Welding Specialist” will be valid for a period of 5 years from the date the exam of Part 6 is completed. To extend the approval, completion of the Part 6 training, including the examination, is required.

CWB – Office of Public Safety will send notices regarding renewals for every 5 years re-examination. Welding Specialists who fail to renew by the expiry date will lose their mark. However there will be no restriction to re-apply at any time.

Fees

The program has no fees associated with it.