IIW

IIW - International Institute of Welding

The International Institute of Welding (IIW) was founded in 1948 by the welding institutes/societies of 13 countries who considered it crucial to make more rapid scientific and technical progress possible on a global level. Their vision was for the IIW to be the international vehicle by which innovation and best joining practices could be promoted, while providing an international platform for the exchange and dissemination of evolving welding technologies and applications. From its humble beginnings, the IIW is today a universal reference, recognized as the largest worldwide network for welding and allied joining technologies, boasting a current membership of 56 countries from the five continents. The IIW’s Mission is to operate as the global body for the science and application of joining technology, providing a forum for networking and knowledge exchange among scientists, researchers and industry. Through the work of its 23 Technical Working Units, the organization’s technical focus encompasses the joining, cutting and surface treatment of metallic and non-metallic materials by such processes as welding, brazing, soldering, thermal cutting, thermal spraying, adhesive bonding and micro-joining. IIW work also embraces allied fields including quality assurance, non-destructive testing, standardization, inspection, health and safety, education, training, qualification, design and fabrication.

Structure of IIW

The International Institute of Welding is an Association under the 1901 French law. The General Assembly is the governing instance with delegations of powers to the President and Board of Directors. The operational management is assured by the General Secretariat.
The IIW gathers 26 Technical Commissions and 4 Select Committees. Working Groups have the responsibilities to develop certain aspects of the IIW Activity. The Qualification and Certification is managed by the International Authorization Board (IAB) having its own Secretariat.

IAB - International Authorisation Board

During the past 20 years the European Welding Federation (EWF) has developed an entire system for the training and qualification of personnel in various categories. The system is described in various documents covering: syllabuses, teaching requirements, examination requirements, QA requirements, auditing, etc. The system covers the complete process from establishing student eligibility, right through to the award of the diploma; and includes rules for bodies that implement the system
In addition to the above, during the past 15 years, EWF has developed certification systems for welding personnel and for companies that manufacture products by welding. As with the training and qualification system, the certification systems’ documentation provides a comprehensive set of requirements for the processes leading to certification and for the management of the bodies that are responsible for certification.
In 2000 EWF and the International Institute for Welding (IIW) have decided to collaborate in developing the International IIW Qualification, Certification and Authorisation Systems based on the EWF Qualification, Certification and Authorisation Systems.

The body created within the IIW structure to operate the International IIW Qualification, Certification and Authorisation Systems is called the “International Authorisation Board” (IAB).

Objectives

The terms of reference of the IAB are:  

§  Management, on behalf of IIW Board of Directors, of all training, qualification and certification activities in accordance with IIW applicable decisions;

§  Development and implementation of harmonised Guidelines for Qualification and Certification of Personnel and Companies;

• Development and application of Rules and Procedures for implementing the harmonised Guidelines and a Quality Management system for controlling the IIW systems;
• Authorisation of National Bodies - ANBs for implementing the IIW system for personnel education, training, qualification and certification;
• Authorisation of National Bodies for Company Certification - ANBCCs for implementing the IIW system for companies certification;
• Preparation and implementation of an independent annual budget with all costs arising from IAB activities, to be covered by fees charged to ANBs/ANBCCs that participate in the IAB systems.

The IAB organization includes the Board of IAB, Group A "Education, Training and Qualification", Group B "Implementation, Authorisation and Certification", IAB Secretariat, Lead, Peer and Distance Learning (DL) Assessors, Members Meeting where IAB Members join together, Working Groups and ANBs Chief Executives/ ANBCCs Scheme Managers Groups.

Structure of IAB

The IAB organization includes the Board of IAB, Group A "Education, Training and Qualification", Group B "Implementation, Authorisation and Certification", IAB Secretariat, Lead, Peer and Distance Learning (DL) Assessors, Members Meeting where IAB Members join together, Working Groups and ANBs Chief Executives/ ANBCCs Scheme Managers Groups.

IIW-IAB Organizational Chart

More detailed information on IIW-IAB you can find on www.iiwelding.org