Spotlight on Welding Engineering Technologists

What is a Welding Engineering Technologist?

“There’s a person at work who calls themself a Welding Engineering Technologist.?How do you earn this designation?”

In Canada, an engineering technologist is a person with specialized education and training in a specific area of technology.?Engineering technologists are professionals who are part of the engineering team.?They are not professional engineers, although they have basic engineering education, and they are not tradespeople, although they have a level of basic hands-on training comparable to a tradesperson.?(Of course, there are always exceptions, and it is possible to become all three: a journeyperson, an engineering technologist, and a professional engineer.)

To become a Certified Engineering Technologist (CET) the applicant must have a level of education that meets the criteria set out by provincial accreditation bodies.?For example, in Ontario this body is OACETT (Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists) and in Alberta it is (ASET) Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta. (You can seek out the accreditation body where you live.)?

There are engineering technologists who practice in many technical fields including electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering technology.?The normal route for certification for college/technical institute graduates of engineering technology programs is to document relevant work experience under the supervision of a professional engineer or a certified engineering technologist, complete an exam in professional practices, and submit a technology report or complete a certification exam.?(The specific requirements vary somewhat from province to province.)?For internationally trained applicants there is a parallel process which includes an educational assessment.

In the welding field, there are a few colleges/technical institutes that offer the specialized training required to become a Welding Engineering Technologist.?This education will meet the requirements of the engineering technology certification body in the province.?These programs include welding skills and theory, but also a study of welding metallurgy, non-destructive testing (NDT), welding design & procedure development, codes & standards, automation, and management.?Conestoga College in Cambridge, Ontario, offers two welding engineering technology programs, one specializing in welding inspection & NDT, and the other specializing in welding robotics & automation.?These welding engineering technology students also complete an independent capstone research project in their final school term.

The training and education of an engineering technologist is at a higher technical level when compared to a technician with a focus on applied science (see the image).?Engineering technologists may be able to operate in their field of practice with less supervision and perform non-routine work when compared to a technician.?(Note: Engineering Technicians may be able to certify as a C.Tech in their province/territory of practice.)

Welding Engineering Technologists play an important role in the Canadian welding & fabrication industry and there are hundreds of them working across the country.?They are employed in welding robotics and automation, welding inspection & non-destructive testing, welding supervision & industrial management, welding procedure development & testing, as technical sales representatives, and many other roles.

Author: Jim Galloway , CET* is a Professor of Welding Engineering Technology & Trades at Conestoga College in Cambridge, Ontario. In addition to other qualifications, he is a Certified Engineering Technologist in the welding/metallurgy field, and has been a member of OACETT for over 40-yrs.? He has been involved in the welding industry for 45 years in welding/fabrication, management, research, inspection, and education. (*Note: the CET acronym indicates a Certified Engineering Technologist.)