European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting


The European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting is an organization dedicated to education, training, qualification and certification in the field of welding and related technologies.

History

In 1992, welding course providers of several EU countries wanted to harmonise their education, training, qualification and certification procedures. Thus, they set up the European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting. The objective was that the same qualifications could be awarded in any country by using a single syllabus for each level of the training course and a harmonized system for examinations. EWF developed a comprehensive and harmonized system for training, qualification and certification of welding personnel and managed its application ever since. It took a leading role in the innovation of learning methodologies. It is also responsible for the certification system of companies that use welding, focusing on quality, environment, health, and safety.
The challenges addressed by EWF are two-fold: Respond to the industry's professional profile requirements and provide courses that leverage current technological trends and their impact on evolving lifestyles and information acquisition patterns.
Currently, EWF has members from 28 European countries and two observer members from outside Europe, represented by their national welding societies: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, as well as Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.

EWF/IIW network

The federation licensed its qualification system to the International Institute of Welding (IIW) in 2000. Since then, a combined EWF/IIW qualification and certification system has been implemented worldwide. Under this harmonised system, all IIW Authorised Nominated Bodies also operate as EWF ANBs within their respective scopes of authorisation. As of today, the system is delivered through 27 EWF ANBs and 40 IIW ANBs, supported by more than 500 Approved Training Bodies, and is offered in 46 countries worldwide.
CountryANBWebsiteChief Executive
AustriaSchweisstechnische Zentralanstalt http://www.sza.atKatharina Umlaub
BelgiumAssociation Belge du Soudage / Belgische Vereniging voor Lastechniekhttp://www.bvl-abs.beFrank Duponcheel
BulgariaBulgarian Welding Societyhttp://bws-bg.org/en/Stanislav Nikolov
CroatiaHrvatsko Društvo za Tehniku Zavarivanjahttp://www.hdtz-cws.com/Slobodan Kralj
Czech RepublicCzech Welding Society ANBhttp://www.cws-anb.czVáclav Minařík
DenmarkFORCE Technologyhttp://www.force-cert.dkNiels Ovesen
FinlandSuomen Hitsausteknillinen Yhdistyshttp://www.shy.fiJuha Kauppila
FranceAssociation Française du Soudagehttp://www.afs-asso.orgPhilippe Lebeau
GermanyDVS PersZerthttp://www.dvs-ev.deMartin Lehmann
GreeceWelding Greek Institutehttps://www.wgi.gr/Georgia Kolyva
HungaryHungarian Association of Welding Technology and Material Testinghttp://www.mhte.huLászló Gyura
ItalyIIS CERT srlhttps://www.iis.it/Emanuele Gandolfo
KazakhstanKazakhstan Welding Association http://kazweld.kz/enRustambek Abdurakhmanov
NetherlandsNederlands Instituut voor Lastechniekhttp://www.nil.nlTim Liefaart
NorwayNorwegian Welding Associationhttp://www.sveis.noBjørnar Værnes
PolandŁukasiewicz – Górnośląski Instytut Technologiczny – Centrum Spawalnictwahttp://www.is.lukasiewicz.gov.plMichał Kubica
PortugalInstituto de Soldadura e Qualidade http://www.isq.ptAnabela Costa
RomaniaASR Cert Pershttps://asr.ro/Horia Dascău
SerbiaDUZS-CertPershttp://www.duzs.org.rsVencislav Grabulov
SlovakiaVýskumný ústav zváracskýhttp://www.vuz.skPeter Durik
SloveniaSlovensko Društvo za Varilno Tehnikohttp://www.drustvo-sdvt.siMiro Uran
SpainAsociación Española de Soldadura y Tecnologías de Unión http://www.cesol.esJuan Vicente Rosell
SwedenSvetskommissionenhttp://www.svets.seElisabeth Öhman
SwitzerlandSchweizerischer Verein für Schweisstechnikhttps://www.svs.ch/Daniela Grütter
TürkiyeTR-ANB by Gedik Education and Social Assistance Foundation & Turkish Welding Technologies Academyhttps://tr-anb.orgEmre Tuğberk Gülnergiz
UkrainePaton Welding Institute Training and Qualification Centrehttp://muac.kpi.ua/Yevgenia Chvertko
United KingdomTWI Certification Ltd.https://www.twicertification.com/Emma Freckingham

The network also includes 55,000 companies worldwide.
A certification system has been developed to guarantee manufacturer compliance with EN ISO 3834 and environmental and health safety schemes and its implementation is harmonized within EWF members.

Organization

The EWF has a General Assembly, a Board of Directors, a Secretariat and a Technical Committee with five working groups.
The EWF is governed by the General Assembly, which is representative of the member organizations. The General Assembly, composed of the members of the association, has full powers to accomplish the objectives of the association.
The General Assembly is responsible for electing its president and a Board of Directors.
NameYearsOrganisationCountry
Bent Koch1992FORCE TechnologyDenmark
Jean Quéré1993-1995IS - Institut de SoudureFrance
J. van den Brug1996-1998NIL - NEDERLANDS INSTITUUT VOOR LASTECHNIEKThe Netherlands
Giulio Costa1999-2001IIS - ISTITUTO ITALIANO DELLA SALDATURAItaly
Jan Pilarczyk2002-2004IS - Instytut SpawalnictwaPoland
German Hernandez2005-2007CESOL – Asociación Española de Soldadura y Tecnologías de UniónSpain
Tim Jessop2008-2010TWI - The Welding InstituteUnited Kingdom
Dorin Dehelean2011-2013ASR - Asociația Română de SudurăRomania
Henk Bodt2014-2016NIL - NEDERLANDS INSTITUUT VOOR LASTECHNIEKThe Netherlands
Chris Eady2017-2019TWI - The Welding InstituteUnited Kingdom
Michal Kubica2020-2022IS - Instytut SpawalnictwaPoland
Stefano Morra2023-2025Istituto Italiano della Saldatura IISItaly

The Secretariat is elected for a period of 5 years by the General Assembly from among the proposals made by the full members, in accordance with the criteria established by the General Assembly.
NamePositionProfessional Summary
Rute FerrazGeneral ManagerManages the International System for Qualification and certification of Personnel and Companies, since 2002 and is EWF Lead Assessor.
Mrs Ferraz has an international professional career of over 25 years in Quality Management in Italy, Brasil and Argentina and at present also is Director of the Training Department at ISQ – Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade.
Eurico AssunçãoDeputy DirectorDeputy Director of EWF as well as an invited lecturer at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, in Laser Processing. Mr Eurico Assunção holds a degree as Doctor of Philosophy Welding Engineering, from the Cranfield University and a European and International Welding Engineer Diploma. Is responsible for the Collaboration Projects of EWF and has coordinated more than 20 large projects involving organisations from all EU. Also manages the Joining Platform, as a sub-platform within the EU Platform “Manufuture”.

The EWF Technical Committee is set up by the General Assembly to cover a technical area related to training, qualification and certification in the welding and joining fields, implying a continuous activity, without any time limit, and consists of the Chairman, the representatives of the members and Working Groups.
CouncilTerms of ReferenceConvenor
IJQCCThe EWF International Joining Qualification and Certification Council - IJQCC, is set up by the General Assembly for covering several areas of competence: Standardization, Certification, Training and Qualification in the welding, joining and cutting fields and EWF System Rules. Each area of competence consists of several working groups implying a continuous activity, without any time limit. It consists of the Chairman of the Technical Committee, a convenor per area of competence and the representatives of the members and Working Groups.Juan Rosell
Training and QualificationDevelops, maintains and updates the EWF System for Qualification of Personnel to keep it consistent with the European rules and industry needs, assure consistency of the overall EWF system and keep liaisons with the personnel certification schemes.Philippe Leca
CertificationDevelops the strategy for the EWF System for Certification of Personnel and Companies in line with the European Standards, directives and industry needs; assures consistency of the EWF Certification Schemes with EU legislation.Emanuele Gandolfo
StandardizationIdentifies the welding standards which are worthy to the EWF members; not only related to the certification/qualification of welding and inspection personnel as well as schemes for the certification of FPC and another European standards/directives that might have a direct influence in the activities carried out by the EWF members. Assists EWF members in implementing and developing new areas of intervention related to standards/directives.Tobias Rosado
EWF System RulesEnsures the update of EWF rules and requirements for Personnel Qualification and Certification according to the EWF developments; develops the EWF Operational System documents depicting the EWF organizational structure and terms of reference for each body.Italo Fernandes
European Union ToolsEU Projects, collaboration between European Organizations, EU Rules and instruments. Assist EWF members in developing project proposals and facilitate the dissemination of upcoming European project calls.Eurico Assunção

Key activities

Education, training and qualification of personnel

The EWF qualification system has several types of professional training covering welding, bonding and related techniques. This harmonized system of education and training has been adopted by IIW as an international qualification system since 2000. Its relevance has been recognized both by ISO and CEN, which have EWF as a liaison member. These different technologies, like particular processes, require that the quality of the product be incorporated during the and maintenance, and cannot be ensured only by final testing. That entails personnel with particular high level of knowledge, skills and competencies, which can be obtained through the EWF qualification system.
There are three pillars which support the EWF Harmonized International Qualification System:
  1. Technical Committee: Harmonized qualification guidelines, rules and procedures are developed and approved by all members
  2. The National Member: is responsible for the supervision and implementation of the system through the Authorized Nominated Body
  3. The Approved Training Centers: Approved Training Bodies implement the qualification guidelines
In 2012, in its annual report about international qualifications, the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), has considered the EWF qualification system as the best-case example, recognising the ground-breaking work done by EWF on creating a qualification framework which has been globally adopted.

EWF guidelines

The EWF training guidelines cover all professional levels in welding technology and related areas, such as thermal spraying, adhesive bonding, plastics welding and underwater welding, leading to recognised qualifications in 30 European countries and also at international level. They can be listed as follows:
Welding 'coordination
  1. European Welding Engineer
  2. European Welding Technologist
  3. European Welding Specialist
  4. European Welding Practitioner
  5. European Diploma in Welding Coordination Knowledge
Welding inspection
  1. European Welding Inspector
Welding production - manual and semi-automatic welding
  1. Gas-Welding European Plate Welder
  2. Gas-Welding European Tube Welder
  3. MIG/MAG-FCAW European Fillet Welder
  4. MIG/MAG-FCAW European Plate Welder
  5. MIG/MAG-FCAW European Tube Welder
  6. MMA European Plate Welder
  7. MMA European Tube Welder
  8. TIG European Fillet Welder
  9. TIG European Plate Welder
  10. TIG European Tube Welder
  11. MAG European Plate Welder
  12. MAG European Tube Welder
Welding production – specialised production roles
  1. European Aluminothermic Welder
  2. European Arc Welder for Rail Joining
  3. European Arc Welder for Rail Restoration
  4. European Welding Specialists for Resistance Welding
  5. European Weld Setter for Resistance Welding
  6. European Trainer with Qualification for Virtual Welding Training Systems
Mechanized, robot and laser welding
  1. European Diploma in Mechanized, Orbital and Robot Welding
  2. European Diploma in Mechanized Welding
  3. European Diploma in Orbital Welding
  4. European Diploma in Robot Welding
  5. European Diploma in Laser Welding
  6. European Diploma in Laser Processing
Coating / surfacing process
  1. European Thermal Sprayers
  2. European Thermal Spraying Practitioner
  3. European Thermal Spraying Specialists
  4. European Diploma in Laser Surface Treatments
Adhesives
  1. European Adhesive Engineer
  2. European Adhesive Specialist
  3. European Adhesive Bonder
Personnel certification
  1. Certified European Plastics Welder
  2. EWF Passport Associated with Welder Certification
Special courses'
  1. Special Course for European MMA Diver Welder
  2. Special Course for Welding Reinforcing Bars at the Specialist Level
  3. Special Course on Personnel with Responsibility for Macroscopic and Microscopic Metallographic Exam
  4. Special Course on Weld Imperfections for Non-Destructive Testing Personnel
  5. Special Course on Personnel with Responsibility for Heat Treatment of Welded Joints
  6. Special Course on Risk Management in Welding Fabrication
  7. Special Course for European Laser Safety Officer

Certification of welding personnel

Three certification schemes for personnel have been developed:
• Welding Coordination Certification has existed since 1998, was adopted by IIW in 2007 and is currently recognised worldwide, allowing Welding Coordinators to be certified according to the requirement of ISO 14731.
• Plastic Welders Certification has existed since 2004, providing training and certification according to EN 13067.
• Welders Operators and Brazers Certification exist since 2010. The goal of this scheme is to harmonise the welder's certification process, which is necessary for welder approval.

Certification of companies

EWF has created an integrated Manufacturers Certification Scheme, which complies with ISO 3834 on welding quality requirements, which is in place since 1998, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 on environment and also health and safety, which are in place since 2000. The scheme has been adopted by IIW, only for the quality field.

Additive Manufacturing Personnel

The IAMQS - International Additive Manufacturing Qualification System was created by industry and for industry to ensure that companies and professionals are equipped with the right set of skills to implement AM/ 3D printing at the industrial level.
International Additive Manufacturing Qualification System currently offers 11 Qualifications in Additive Manufacturing, covering Operators, Coordinator, Engineers, Designers and Supervisor.
  • The management of the International AM Qualification System is done by EWF;
  • The EWF System is recognized worldwide for the development of an international system based on the EWF Education, Training and Qualification Guidelines and Rules;
  • EWF provides innovative training guidelines that cover front-end emerging technologies in Additive Manufacturing at an industrial level, offering individual learning pathways opportunities;
  • Supports companies seeking to achieve compliance with international standardisation.

'''IAMQS Qualifications'''

Operators
  1. Operator Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Beam
  2. Operator Directed Energy Deposition – Laser Beam
  3. Operator Directed Energy Deposition – ARC
  4. Operator Powder Bed Fusion – Electron Beam
Process engineers
  1. Process Engineer Directed Energy Deposition – Laser Beam
  2. Process Engineer Directed Energy Deposition – ARC
  3. Process Engineer Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Beam
Designers
  1. Designer Directed Energy Deposition Processes
  2. Designer for PBF Processes
  3. Designer for Polymers
Coordinators and supervisors
  1. Coordinator
  2. Supervisor

Projects

A good part of EWF's activities have been related to its participation in European cooperation projects, in particular under the European Commission's programmes such as Lifelong Learning 2007-2013, 7th Framework Programme, Erasmus+ and H2020.
The project focuses on modernisation of teaching methods, harmonisation of qualifications, support for learning, implementation and benchmarking to other teaching areas. It covers a variety of areas like additive manufacturing, health and safety, microbonding, laser processing and adhesives that go beyond welding and joining but target manufacturing as a whole.