The certification schemes in summary
Every AWI scheme on one page: what it certifies, which standard it is issued against, who assesses it, and what the certificate lets the holder claim. If you already know which scheme you need, the detail pages are linked from each row.
Four schemes, and one distinction that runs through all of them. Three certify a person. One assesses a company. Mixing those up is the most common mistake in a tender response.
| Scheme | Certifies | Standard | Assessed by | Endorsed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welder | A person’s welding skill in a defined category | AS 1796, certificates 1 to 9 | Approved training provider, theory and practical examination | AWI |
| Welding supervisor | A person’s competence to control welded production | AS 1796 Cert 10 (general and pressure), AS 2214 (structural). Separate qualifications | Approved training provider, written examination per process | AWI |
| Fabricator | A company’s capability to control fusion welding | AS/NZS ISO 3834, parts 2, 3 or 4 | Site assessment and audit, plus oral examination of the welding coordinator | AWI, not ISO/IEC 17065 accredited |
What every scheme has in common
Examined, not awarded
No AWI certificate is issued for attending a course. Every one of them requires a passed examination, and for welders a practical examination in the specific category being claimed.
Publicly verifiable
Every certificate is entered on the register with a certificate number. Anyone holding the number and the surname can have it checked.
Time limited on purpose
Competence decays when it is not used. Every scheme has a renewal cycle that requires evidence of continued work in the certified role. How renewal works.
The schemes are progressive
They are designed to build on each other rather than to be started from scratch each time. The clearest example is the theory: welding process technology, welding metallurgy, and weld testing and inspection is one body of knowledge, taken and examined once, and it underpins welding supervision under AS 1796 and AS 2214.
That has a practical consequence for anyone planning a career rather than a single certificate. Doing the common theory early means it never has to be repeated. The pathways pages set out the order.
What an AWI certificate does not do
Worth stating, because certificates get produced on jobs to answer questions they do not answer.
- It does not qualify a welding procedure. A certified welder working to an unqualified procedure still produces non-compliant work. The difference, explained.
- It is not a licence. Welding is not a licensed trade in Australia. Certification is required by the standard or the contract, not by a regulator, with the exception of separate regulatory requirements that attach to specific equipment or high risk work.
- It does not certify the company. A fabricator whose welders are certified is not thereby a certified fabricator. That is AS/NZS ISO 3834.
- It does not cover work outside its range. Each certificate covers defined processes, materials, positions and thicknesses. Outside that range the certificate says nothing.
Next
The certification hub for the full detail on each scheme, the application process if you already hold the qualification, or the register if you are checking somebody else’s.