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Welding Sparks an International Career
at 16 years of age in 1981, I was a coded pressure pipe welder and pipefitter for approximately 25 years. In 2005, I was offered a position by Transfield as a welding inspector on a refinery shutdown. While working on a long hot camp job during the construction of a power station in the Northern Territory outback in the 1990s, I met a welding inspector who advised me that I should get into welding inspection as it had allowed him to travel the world and get paid good money to do it. So, I enrolled at a college in Melbourne and began several years of night school—in addition to my full time welding day job—to gain my WTIA (now Weld Australia) Welder Certification to AS 1796 Certification of welders and welding supervisors Certificate 10, and Welding Supervisor to AS 2214 Certification of welding supervisors - Structural steel welding, as well as Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), and (SCWI) certifications. I also hold the American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), IIW Welding Inspector certification, ASNT-SNT-TC-1a Personnel Qualification and Certification in Nondestructive Testing Level II VT (Bechtel certified), and AS 1796 welding Certificates 1 to 9. I used to travel a lot for work, both within Australia and sometimes internationally, but not as much since I met my beautiful wife Lori and then we were very lucky to have our daughter Haylee. I was just away from home too much. What inspired you to choose a career in welding? When I was in high school I wanted a trade where I could be mobile and get a job anywhere. Welders, especially pipe welders and pipe fitters, always seemed to be in great demand. During my apprenticeship, (and on many jobs since then), I have worked with some extremely talented welders, boilermakers, pipefitters and fabricators, who have worked on landmark projects both in Australia and around the globe. I already had the travel bug but after
Image: Myles Considine in front of two 160 ton stainless steel vessels waiting to be lifted into position at the Vitrification Plant.
Image: Double wall transfer lines to carry radioactive waste material are to be encased in concrete and backfilled after welding and pressure testing is complete.
Image: Vessel skirts being welded in by boilermakers before 160 ton vessels are placed on top and welded down to skirt top plate at the Vitrification Plant
listening to their great travel stories, I realised the common denominator with all of them was not only did they have the welding and trade skills, but they also had the relevant certifications to match. So, if I wanted to be able to travel and get paid to do it, I decided that I had to try to better myself as a welder, and get some further education. Who has inspired you professionally? I would answer this by giving a lot of credit to the apprenticeship system itself and to all the instructors at the trade colleges worldwide. I was a 16
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I realised the common denominator with all of them was not only did they have the welding and trade skills, but they also had the relevant certifications to match. So, if I wanted to be able to travel and get paid to do it, I decided that I had to try to better myself as a welder, and get some further education.”