Level 3 Plate Welder Apprenticeship
Course Details
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Department
Apprenticeships -
Qualification
Level 3 -
Length
2 Years -
Location(s)
York
Course at a glance
As a Welder, your occupation is found in a wide range of sectors associated with the Fabrication, Construction and upgrade of major capital plant items and facilities. This will include Structural Steel fabrication and construction.
Entry Requirements
GCSEs
As a minimum requirement, all new Apprentices are expected to achieve a Grade 2 in English and Maths.
Cost for students aged Under 19
Free
for students over the age of 19 please contact us
Course summary
The broad purpose of the occupation is to manually weld plate and structural components to high standards of quality. This will involve fabrication, construction or repair of fabricated plate assemblies, extrusions and structural components used, often used to fabricate larger components and assemblies. Plate welders will weld to internationally recognised quality standards using more than one manual arc welding process such as Tungsten Intert Gas (TIG), Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Metal Inert or Metal Active Gas (MIG or MAG).
The occupation requires production of welds in plate and structural components covering three plate welding positions which must include Vertical (either upward or downward progression) and overhead, and the three main joint configurations (Single- or Double-Sided Butt, Single or Double Sided T-Butt & Fillet). Plate welding contributes to the UK economy through the fabrication, construction and upgrade of major infrastructure projects, defence assets and exported goods.
These operations may take place in the employer’s workplace or on the customer’s site requiring flexible working hours as dictated by requirements. Welders work with people from other teams and functions, such as plate fabricators, steel erectors, steel workers, riggers, stores operatives, supervisors, inspectors, testing and quality control technicians. Work may be checked to ensure continued quality of welding: this includes visual inspection and dimensional checks. It may also include non-destructive and destructive testing. You may work on your own or as part of a team, and may work with minimal supervision with responsibility for the quality of your own work and will typically report to a workplace supervisor.
Key Information
Through your daily work with your employer and your training sessions with the college, you will learn the requirements of the Level 3 Welder apprenticeship competently including:
• Fundamentals of welding metallurgy (weld solidification and Heat Affected Zone) and how this can affect the weldability of materials and final joint integrity.
• Welding positions and progressions associated with plate and structural components and their international designations
• The major components of welding equipment, ancillary equipment, cabling and their assembly, then set, modify and monitor welding controls
• Types and functions of welding consumables, fluxing systems and the requirement for correct identification, storage, conditioning, handling, recycling and disposal.
On successful completion of the training period, you will move through End Point Assessment Gateway and be able to undertake the assessments required to achieve your apprenticeship.
The End Point Assessment will only start once the employer is satisfied that you are consistently working at or above the level set out in the occupational standard, the pre-requisite gateway requirements have been met and that they can be evidenced to an End Point Assessment Organisation.
The End Point Assessor will be an independent person, who will judge the quality of your work. All work in college and at work, will leads towards preparation for assessment and your future career.
For this apprenticeship the End Point Assessment will include:
• Knowledge Test
• Discussion about your work portfolio
• Observation
Your apprenticeship will be graded Fail, Pass or Distinction. Upon completion of your apprenticeship, you will be able to progress on to a supervisor in your workplace.
The duration of the apprenticeship is based on a skills analysis and the development opportunities within the business.
The maximum duration for this apprenticeship training period is 24 months, with up to a further 6 months to undertake the End Point Assessment.
Individual employers will set their own selection criteria, when they interview all candidates to be employed.
As a minimum requirement, all new Apprentices are expected to have a minimum of Grade 2’s in English and Maths.
If you are under 19 upon start date of this apprenticeship, you will be required to work towards a Grade 4 GCSE or Level 2 Functional Skills whilst enrolled on this apprenticeship.
Employers pay for apprenticeship training, where fees are applicable. We will discuss this with your employer when we complete a set-up with them. The college can work directly with your employer to support them with funding, incentives and contract negotiations.
The fees charged for the apprenticeship include any awarding body registration costs, all on-programme teaching, assessment and support delivered by the college, support materials, access to college facilities such as the Learning Resource Centre, Student Moodle, and access to wider college student support services where required. There may be additional costs to the employer, should there be any need to re sit assessments on programme or end point assessments.
Employers must pay apprentices at least the minimum rate set out by current National Minimum Wage Legislation. This includes payment for all off-job learning and any associated costs such as travel and accommodation.
Click here to find more information about the National Minimum wage.
Employer involvement
Your employer must enable you to spend a minimum of 20% of your usual work hours undertaking off-job learning. This is defined as learning which is undertaken outside of the normal day-to-day working environment and leads towards the achievement of the apprenticeship. This can include training that is delivered at your normal place of work but must not be delivered as part of your normal working duties, and must be directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard.
Off-job learning could include the following:
– Teaching of theory such as lectures, role playing, simulation exercises, online learning or manufacturer training
– Practical training such as shadowing experienced staff or mentoring, industry visits and attendance at competitions
– Study support and time spent writing assessments/assignments
Your employer must commit to supporting you in the workplace, participating in progress review meetings, providing use of ICT facilities so you can access your e-portfolio and agreeing/ensuring your readiness for the End Point Assessment. They may be required to provide further supporting evidence/endorsements about your performance, which form part of the End Point Assessment.
Further details of the End Point Assessment will be made available to you during your induction.
College input
We will support you through regular Apprenticeship Progress Review meetings with you and your manager, provide well planned vocational training and theory delivery by block release model and support your theory learning in the workplace with a range of learning materials.
This programme is delivered at our York Campus on Block-release.
How to apply
Applications should be made using the college application form or via the college website. This form can be found at: https://www.askham-bryan.ac.uk/application/register.
Upon receipt of your application, you will have an interview with the Course Manager.
Further information
Further information about the apprenticeship standard is available: Plate welder / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
Or, for more information, contact the Apprenticeship Admin team on:
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York Campus
York is the College's residential campus and is located just four miles from York city centre. At York we offer a full range of subject areas and levels including Apprenticeships, Level 1-3 Diplomas, Foundation, Top Up and BSc Honours Degrees.
