CERTIFICATE IN WELDING ENGINEERING (CWE)
SELF STUDY
TRAINING COURSE
Tel: + 44 0114 2356111; Mobile + 44 07963 099930; e-mail: philip@philipbralsford.co.uk
SELF STUDY
TRAINING COURSE
CERTIFICATE IN WELDING ENGINEERING (CWE) - SELF STUDY TRAINING COURSE
Master welding engineering principles and earn your industry-ready certificate
This is a comprehensive course which is unrivalled in the market & which is suitable for candidates at all levels, including those new to welding, as no specific qualification entry requirements are needed. Anyone with passion and curiosity can access this world-class welding engineering education—regardless of academic background.
The course is divided into 9 MODULES as follows:
The Fundamentals of Welding & Welding Processes
Arc Welding Processes
Welding Inspection, including Visual Welding Inspection & Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Inspection Techniques: Radiography (RT); Ultrasonic Testing (UT); Magnetic Particle Testing (MT); Dye Penetrant Testing (PT) & Eddy Current Testing (ET)
Requirements of a Welding Quality Management to ISO 3834; Welding Coordination to BS EN ISO 14731; Non-Conformance Reporting, Corrective Actions & Continuous Improvement; Weld Quality Requirements for a Range of Welded Products.
The Development & Writing of Qualified Welding Procedure Specifications
Welding of Steel & Cast Iron
Welding of Stainless Steel
Welding of Non-Ferrous Metals (Ni alloys; Al alloys; Ti alloys; Mg alloys; Zr alloys; Co alloys & Cu Alloys)
Dissimilar Metals Joining by Welding & Brazing
Fundamentals of welding: welding metallurgy, joint design, heat input & temperature control during welding.
Parent Metals: product standards & grades or a wide range of ferrous & non-ferrous metals & alloys.
Welding processes: principles, capabilities and limitations of common fusion and thermal joining methods.
Metallurgy for joining: fusion and solidification behaviour, heat‑affected zones, dilution, how microstructure and composition affect joint performance.
Inspection theory: visual inspection fundamentals and the role and principles of common NDT methods.
Materials and defects: causes and classification of weld discontinuities and defect formation.
Welding quality systems: procedure and welder qualification concepts, traceability and standards that govern welding practice.
Visual weld inspection competence: systematic assessment, defect recognition and clear reporting.
NDT awareness and integration: selecting appropriate NDT techniques & interpreting indications.
Welding procedure development & writing: interpreting and applying WPS, WPQR and welder approval criteria in production and maintenance.
Steel preheat temperature determination: to BS EN 1011-2
Root‑cause analysis and corrective action: diagnosing weld failures and specifying practical process, material or inspection changes to prevent recurrence.
Specification and documentation: producing auditable inspection records, material checks and quality evidence.
Standards alignment: practical application of national and industry welding standards to acceptance criteria, qualification and inspection planning.
Credential: successful completion leads to the Certificate in Welding Engineering (CWE), demonstrating industry‑relevant competence and CPD credit.
Workplace impact: improved first‑pass acceptance, reduced rework, stronger traceability and better defensible decisions in welding production and inspection.
Intended learners: engineers, welding supervisors, inspectors, quality managers, metallurgists and technical staff seeking a market‑leading, practical qualification in welding engineering.
A complete list of topics covered on the course is shown further down the page under the heading: 'COURSE CONTENT.'
The course is offered for completion by flexible self study, so candidates can start and progress through the training at anytime, anywhere & at their own pace. No need to wait for course dates for classroom-based or online training courses and no need to pay travelling expenses & to spend time away paying for hotels & other living expenses. Total estimated self study time required to complete the course is 70 hours.
Candidates also receive a comprehensive, full-colour Training Handbook that serves as both a course guide and a valuable reference tool after completion of the course.
The welding engineering knowledge & skills gained on the course are applicable to a wide range of welding industry sectors, including:
🔺 STEEL & ALUMINIUM STRUCTURES
🔺 CONCRETE REINFORCING STEELS
🔺 PRESSURE VESSELS
🔺 PIPELINES
🔺 RAILWAY VEHICLES
🔺 AEROSPACE
🔺 AUTOMOTIVE
🔺 OIL & GAS
🔺CHEMICAL
🔺POWER GENERATION, INCLUDING NUCLEAR
🔺RAILS
🔺GENERAL ENGINEERING
🔺DEFENCE
BENEFITS OF CHOOSING OUR TRAINING
Our training offers an excellent choice for the following reasons:
Comprehensive Curriculum: This is a comprehensive Welding Engineering. A complete list of topics covered on the course is shown further down the page under the heading: 'COURSE CONTENT.'
Distance Learning: The course is offered as a distance learning, self-study training course, making it accessible to candidates regardless of their location.
Flexible Learning: Candidates can start and progress through the training at anytime, anywhere & at their own pace. No need to wait for course dates for classroom-based or online training courses and no need to pay travelling expenses & to spend time away paying for hotels & other living expenses.
Full-Colour Training Handbook: Participants receive a comprehensive, full-colour Training Handbook that serves as both a course guide and a valuable reference tool after completion.
Accredited Certifications: Our courses have accreditation from highly experienced, professionally qualified Chartered Engineers, Metallurgists, Materials Engineers & welding experts, with decades of industry experience. The value of our certifications has also been recognised by top organisations & professional bodies. The prominent academic & professional profile of our Course Tutor is shown below under the heading 'Course Tutor: Philip Bralsford CEng MIMMM MWeldI MMet MBA.'
Proven Success: Our training has empowered professionals from high-profile organisations & professional bodies including Arcelor Mittal, Bourne Steel, J & D Pierce Contracts Ltd, UKRI - Science & Technologies Facilities Council, TAQA Bratani, Mueller Europe, Moog Aircraft Group, WQiC, RWE Generation UK PLC, TEi Ltd, The Institute of Cast Metal Engineers, Sulzer and The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC.)
Industry-Relevant: Developed by industry experts ensures that the content is both academically rigorous and practically relevant.
No Prior Knowledge Required: The course is suitable for candidates at all levels, including those new to Welding, as no specific qualification entry requirements are needed. Anyone with passion and curiosity can access this world-class welding education—regardless of academic background.
Excellent Feedback: The course has received excellent feedback from candidates who have completed it, highlighting its effectiveness in developing knowledge, skills, and understanding. For some of their comments, see below under the HEADING: 'CANDIDATE FEEDBACK ON OUR TRAINING.'
Career Advancement: The training is designed to enhance your career prospects by increasing your technical knowledge, skills, and understanding.
Supportive Environment: Benefit from the support and guidance from professionally qualified & experienced Course Tutors who are industry experts with decades of experience.
Our self study training course provides a cost-effective & flexible route for candidates to start & progress through the training at anytime, anywhere & at their own pace.
Total estimated self study time required to complete the course is 70 hours.
The start date for the training would follow receipt of payment of the course fees.
All course materials would be posted & e-mailed to the candidate, including a comprehensive, full-colour training handbook which is posted & which serves as an excellent reference document following completion of the training. There are also links to instructional videos to explain some of the concepts presented in the course.
To complete the course, the candidate works through the Training Handbook. During their progression through the course, the candidate also has the option to request a tutorial session with the course tutor of up to 2 hours duration. The aim of the session, which would be arranged online or by phone, would be to review any issues the candidate may have on their understanding of the course material.
Candidates are assessed on the training by CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENTS and those who achieve the required standard will be awarded our 'CERTIFICATE IN WELDING ENGINEERING (CWE)' & CPD 70 HOURS.
Course Fees: £1750 per person, inclusive of a comprehensive, full colour Training Handbook & all Assessment & Certification fees.
Please click on the LINK to download and complete the SELF STUDY booking form if you would like to make a booking, or Contact Us if you require any further information.
As shown below, we have received some EXCELLENT FEEDBACK from the candidates who have completed the course:
'Really enjoyed the course. The material was great & Phil was always available when 'I couldn't see the woods for the trees.'
'I would like to say thanks for a wonderful & informative course. The 2 books were superb & will become a staple of my guidance notes along with all the relevant standards.'
'Really enjoying the course & the content is excellent.'
'Excellent course, CWE certificate recognised and assisted on where I am today (Saudi Aramco.)'
'Great course notes & the fact that I could carry out the units at my own pace fitting it in around work & social time.'
'I`d like to say a big thank you for putting together a course that not only has excellent reference books to work from but also enabled me to study when I had time. I`m sure the books will be put to good use in the future.'
'I have enjoyed the course very much and have found the course manuals to be brilliant.'
‘I felt the course material was invaluable. I came away with a complete understanding simply because it was written by somebody who clearly understood their subject area. I look forward to studying again with Philip Bralsford.’
'Well constructed course notes covering inspection, NDE, welding processes and a special thank you for easy to read welding of various materials, especially non-ferrous metals which can be very complex.'
'The expertise & background of the instructor is amazing and brings ultimate excellence for the level of shared information.'
'It was brilliant to have some discussions with the other attendees last week in the welding / materials area.'
'Great content and very knowledgeable presenter.'
'Well-structured and well-designed course.'
'Sincere thanks for award of certificates. It was a pleasure to attend the training course which certainly widened our horizons and gave us loads of insight into the subject of Welding Engineering. Sincerely appreciated.'
'I thoroughly enjoyed the training.'
'I found the course to be really informative and worthwhile over the last few months after leaving a mainly composites / polymers based job role. It’s been a great way of refreshing my memory whilst learning about the complexities of welding various materials so thanks for this.'
'The course notes were excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the course.'
COURSE CONTENT
Definition of a Metal and Alloy
Useful Properties of Metals & Alloys
Definition of Welding
Fundamental Metallurgy
Welding Terms and Definitions
Overview of Fusion & Solid State Welding Processes:
Arc Welding Processes:
Manual Metallic Arc (MMA)-’Stick Welding’
Metal Inert Gas (MIG) & Metal Active Gas (MAG)
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG)
Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW)
Metal Cored Arc Welding (MCAW)
Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)
Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)
Thermit Welding
Gas Welding
Spot Welding
Flash Butt Welding
Resistance Butt Welding
Seam Welding
Induction Welding
Electron Beam Welding
Laser Beam Welding
Hybrid Laser Arc Welding
Friction Welding
Explosive Welding
Diffusion Welding / Diffusion Bonding
Forge Welding
Ultrasonic Welding
Welding Codes & Standards
Types of Welded Joints & Welds
Thermal Cutting Processes
Welding Positions
Welding Symbols
Materials Certification to BS EN 10204
Calibration of Welding Equipment
Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) Development Process
How to Write a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS)
Welder & Welding Operator Qualifications
Preheat & Interpass Temperature: Measurement & Control
Types of Welding Imperfections & How to Avoid Them
Visual Welding Inspection - Requirements
Principles of the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Techniques for the Inspection of Welds:
Radiographic Testing (RT)
Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI or MT)
Dye Penetrant Testing (PT)
Eddy Current Testing (ET)
Weld Repairs
Weld Quality Requirements for a Range of Welded Products:
Steel & aluminium structures in the UK & EU for UKCA & CE Marking to BS EN 1090-2 (steel structures ) & BS EN 1090-3 (Aluminium structures.)
Welded Carbon steel bars for concrete reinforcement to ISO 17660 Parts 1 & 2.
Steel & aluminium for railway vehicles and components to BS EN 15085.
Pressure vessel steel to BS EN 13445.
Metallic piping to BS EN 13480.
Electron Beam & Laser Beam welded products
Welding Quality Management Systems:
ISO 3834
BS EN ISO 14731 'Welding Coordination: Tasks & Responsibilities'
Non-Conformance Reporting & Corrective Actions
Mechanical Testing of Welds: Destructive Testing & Proof Testing
Welding Stresses, Distortion & Residual Stress in Welded Joints
Heat Treatment of Welded Joints (Post Weld Heat Treatment - PWHT)
Welding of Steel:
Metallurgy & Characteristics of Steel
Weldability of Steel Based on Carbon Equivalent Value (CEV)
Alternative Weldability Formula: PCM Value
The Chemical Elements in Steel
Structural Steel: Product Standards & Grade Designations
Pressure Vessel Steels: Product Standards & Grade Designations
Reinforcing Carbon Steel 'Rebar' Product Standards, Grades & Process Routes
Pipeline Steels Product Standards, Grades & Process Routes
Low Alloy & Alloy Steel:
Low Alloy Steels for Sour Service
Fine Grained & High Nickel Steels for Cryogenic Applications
CrMo & CrMoV Steels for Elevated Temperature Use
Manganese Steel
Types of Weld Cracking:
Solidification Cracking
Lamellar Tearing
Reheat Cracking
Hydrogen Induced Cracking
BS EN 1011-2: Method for Steel Preheat Temperature Determination
Welding of Cast Iron:
Metallurgy of Cast Iron
Grey Cast Iron
Ductile Cast Iron
White Cast Iron
Malleable Cast iron
Weldability
Special Welding Techniques
Welding of Stainless Steel:
Classes of Stainless Steel
General Fabrication Issues
Metallurgy & Characteristics of Austenitic Stainless Steels
Weldability of Austenitic Stainless Steel
Metallurgy & Characteristics of Ferritic Stainless Steels
Weldability of Ferritic Stainless Steel
Metallurgy & Characteristics of Martensitic Stainless Steels
Weldability of Martensitic Stainless Steel
Metallurgy & Characteristics of Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steels
Weldability of Precipitation Hardening Stainless Steel
Metallurgy & Characteristics of Duplex Stainless Steels
Weldability of Duplex Stainless Steel
Welding of Aluminium Alloys:
Metallurgy & Characteristics
Temper Designation
Purchasing Standards
Weldability
Imperfections in Welds
Welding of Nickel Alloys:
Metallurgical Characteristics
General Fabrication Issues
Weldability
Types of Welding Imperfections
Welding of Titanium Alloys :
Metallurgy & Characteristics
Weldability
Imperfections in Welds
Welding of Magnesium Alloys:
Metallurgy & Characteristics
Weldability
Welding of Zirconium Alloys:
Metallurgy & Characteristics
Weldability
Welding of Cobalt Alloys:
Metallurgy & Characteristics
Weldability
Welding of Copper Alloys:
Metallurgy & Characteristics
Weldability
Types of Welding Imperfections
Dissimilar Metal Joining by Welding & Brazing
Course Tutor: Philip Bralsford CEng MIMMM MWeldI MMet MBA
Philip is a highly accomplished metallurgist & materials engineer, welding & quality management specialist, with decades of experience in the field. With an excellent academic background, including a Master of Metallurgy in Advanced Metallurgy from the University of Sheffield, his career has been marked by significant contributions to leading engineering firms such as British Steel, Sheffield Forgemasters and Corus, where he has played a pivotal role in research, product development, quality control and the implementation of innovative solutions.
Philip's proficiency in welding, metallurgy, materials engineering and quality management, when coupled with his project management skills and leadership abilities, has earned him a reputation as a dedicated and results-driven professional. His commitment to excellence is further evidenced by his certifications and memberships in professional organisations including Chartered Engineer (CEng), The Institute of Materials (MIMMM) & The Welding Institute (MWeldI.)
Philip has also designed and implemented comprehensive training programs for engineers and technicians, focusing on metallurgical techniques, materials engineering, welding, corrosion and quality control procedures. He has also authored detailed training manuals and documentation, ensuring that team members have access to valuable resources and best practices for their work.
Philip provides training for a number of high-profile clients, including: Arcelor Mittal, The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), UKRI-Science & Technology Facilities Council, The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME), TAQA Bratani, Building Research Establishment (BRE), Moog Aircraft Group, J & D Pierce Contracts Ltd, Bourne Group Ltd, Mueller Europe, TEi Ltd, Ultra Maritime, William Cook Cast Products, WQiC, Voestalpine Bohler Welding & RWE Generation UK PLC.
Philip has received excellent feedback from the clients & candidates who have undertaken his training. For some of their comments see below:
'Our Engineers have found the course and its subject material very informative and helpful as two engineers relatively new to welding. They have also found the material very well presented and easy to follow.'
'It's been done in a way that's understandable for people who already have some knowledge and for those who don't, It's learnable and understandable.'
'I think there is very little or almost nothing to improve, as the course is very well designed, built and the Tutor is very experienced.'
'Thank you Philip for your time. I've enjoyed the course a lot and after meeting with you, I've learnt even more about the role of an RWC. Thank you again for your feedback on where we need to be and I will continue to make a great effort to learn more.'
‘I felt the course material was invaluable. I came away with a complete understanding simply because it was written by somebody who clearly understood their subject area. I look forward to studying again with Philip.’
You can also purchase separately the full-colour, Training Handbook for this course.
Please Contact Us if you would like to order a copy.
We also offer for purchase the digital course materials that would enable training providers provide their own training in 'Certificate in Welding Engineering.'
When purchasing the digital course materials, you would receive all course materials in digital form, including a comprehensive Microsoft 365 POWERPOINT PRESENTATION, as well as all Assessments for the course.
The PowerPoint presentation also facilitates a TRAINING HANDBOOK for the course to be printed.
All digital files are also editable to enable you to apply your own branding to the course materials.
Please Contact Us for a quotation if you are interested in purchasing the digital course materials, or if you require any further information on the training.