Pipe Welding (Apprenticeship Program)

What is A Pipe Welding (Apprenticeship Program) Certification?

An apprenticeship is a position that allows you to work for a business, earning decent money, while learning the skills of the trade from master craftsman in the trade. The program will also include some classroom and self-directed study, some of which may be required before even starting the apprenticeship. As you gain the skills and knowledge, you may earn more money as you move to higher levels in performing the job.  Each apprenticeship program has a sponsor–a business, a college or university, an industry organization, or a combination of organizations.  The sponsor determines the qualifications to get into the apprenticeship program and the standards you’ll have to meet in your training.  Most apprentices are in the program anywhere from 1 to 6 years, until you know how to perform all the critical skills of the job to industry standards.  Wouldn’t this be a great way to learn the skills of the job?

So, what does a Pipe Welder do?  Pipe Welders weld together pipes that carry any number of substances—water, chemicals, gases, you name it–from one point to another.  They have to know what types of materials are best for that installation, how to do the specific kinds of welds are needed to join the pipes for the safe transport of sometimes hazardous material, and know how to test the pipes so that they meet industry standards.  They also have to know how to troubleshoot and repair pipes in hard-to-reach places. Pipe Welders work in all different industries from maritime installations to building construction to aerospace, automobile, or nuclear energy plants.  You can imagine what an apprenticeship program in Pipe Welding would look like—developing knowledge of various pipe materials, learning all the types of welding skills that will be needed, reading blueprints, troubleshooting, testing, safety, and other subjects.  The outlook for the field is strong—way better than average—partly because of the aging infrastructure throughout the world that is in need of repair and replacement.

The video below discusses a “typical” program, so it should help regardless of which school you are considering.