Apprenticeship training course

Nuclear welding inspection technician (level 4)

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Information about Nuclear welding inspection technician (level 4)

Carrying out quality control and welding inspections for the nuclear industry, to ensure the safety and robustness of nuclear sites.

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • Regulatory and legislative guidance: Nuclear Installations Act (NIA); Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR); Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR).
  • Health and safety: nuclear environment safety culture, safe working practices, risk assessments, control measures for associated radiation sources and hazards. Confined spaces, Health and safety at work act. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Manual handling. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE). Slips, trips and falls. Safety equipment: guards, signage, fire extinguishers. Working at height.
  • Environment and sustainability regulations and guidance. Types of pollution and control measures in the nuclear sector, including spills and waste. Waste reduction and waste streams. Recycling and reuse. Sustainable use of equipment and materials.
  • Human performance and human factors and their effect on nuclear safety culture.
  • British standards for engineering representations, drawings, and fabrication and dimensional requirements.
  • Engineering standards and regulations for the nuclear industry, relevant to the occupation and technician's responsibilities. British Standards (BS). International Organisation for Standardisation standards (ISO). European Norm (EN).
  • Material science: properties, characteristics, composition, failure mechanisms, and behaviours of metal types for selection of welding processes for nuclear applications.
  • Destructive testing methods (DTM): fundamental techniques, point of failure analysis of materials.
  • Weldability and joining methods: weldability of material, welding consumable selection, joining dissimilar materials, heat treatment and effects on metallurgical structure.
  • Welding practices: welding information, representation and terminology, standards and abbreviations. Welding procedures. Welder approval process, documentation and records.
  • Tools and equipment used in welding and welding inspection, processes and parameters for their use.
  • Approved nuclear industry quality control requirements before, during and after welding, and categorisation of weld defects: material and welding equipment storage, condition and certification. Welding process, consumables and approved procedures.
  • Non-destructive testing techniques: liquid penetrant testing and inspection (LPI), magnetic particle inspection (MPI), radiographic testing (RT) and ultrasonic testing (UT). Suitable selection of test method. Advantages and limitations of their use.
  • Documentation and recording information: methods of inspection reporting, and verification of certification data.
  • Business operational considerations: business efficiency, customer satisfaction, technical support, competitiveness, minimising risks to operation, finance, business ethics and licenses.
  • Principles of team working.
  • Principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and the impact on their work.
  • Verbal and written communication techniques.
  • Digital systems and information technology: management information systems, spreadsheets, presentation, document production, email and messaging systems, virtual communication and learning platforms. General data protection regulation. Cyber security.
  • Workplace training and development activities: continual professional development (CPD).

  Skills

  • Comply with nuclear regulatory and legislative guidance.
  • Comply with health and safety and industry regulations, procedures, and guidance.
  • Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations and procedures. For example, identify and segregate resources for reuse, waste reduction, recycling, and disposal.
  • Apply human performance and human factors nuclear culture.
  • Receive, read and interpret engineering data and information for welding processes, procedures and inspections. For example, interrogate engineering drawings, fabrication and dimensional requirements.
  • Comply with nuclear engineering standards and regulations. For example, British Standards (BS), International Organisation for Standardisation standards (ISO) and European Norm (EN).
  • Read, interpret, and record welding information and technologies. For example, welding abbreviations and terminology and relevant weld procedures, welder approval processes.
  • Confirm and validate tools and welding equipment used in the welding process.
  • Select and use welding inspection tools.
  • Apply nuclear industry quality control requirements.
  • Validate materials, equipment and consumables storage, condition and certification and the welding process is in accordance with an approved procedure. Verify qualified status of welder and check weld fit up and weld faces.
  • Carry out process and parameter monitoring and verification. For example, check current, voltage, heat and travel speed are in accordance with the welding procedure and inspect the weld root and verify inter run.
  • Carry out visual inspection, non-destructive testing techniques, for example, liquid penetrant testing (LPI), magnetic particle inspection (MPI), for weld appearance and identification checks.
  • Check subsequent repairs are completed and recorded and test post-weld heat treatment.
  • Produce welding inspection reports, and verification of certification data, recording information and the results on paper or electronically.
  • Apply business improvement techniques. For example, identify areas for improvement, resolve business problems, business efficiencies.
  • Record or enter information - paper based or electronic. For example, job sheets, handover documents and manufacturers' documentation, work sheets, checklists, waste environmental records.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Apply and promote policies and practices to support equity, diversity and inclusion.
  • Communicate verbally with colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Communicate in writing with colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Use information technology. For example, for document creation, communication, and information management in line with breakdown, repair and maintenance activities. Comply with GDPR and other regulations relating to personal and commercial data.
  • Carry out and record formal and informal workplace training and development activities, continual professional development (CPD).

  Behaviours

  • Commit to and promote safety in the nuclear industry for all stakeholders.
  • Collaborate within teams, across disciplines and external stakeholders.
  • Promote professional conduct, ethics, integrity, honesty and resilience.
  • Support a diverse and inclusive culture.
  • Consider human performance and human factors principles in the workplace.
  • Seek learning and development opportunities, continual professional development (CPD).
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Engineering and manufacturing
• Qualification level: 4; Equal to higher national certificate (HNC)
• Course duration: 48 months
• Funding: £27,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.

View more information about Nuclear welding inspection technician (level 4) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.