As an UKAS accredited ISO/IEC 17020 Type A Inspection Body, an ISO/IEC 17024 Personnel Certification Body No.23388, and a Recognised Third Party Organisation (RTPO) under the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (PE(S)R), NECIT certifies welders, welding operators, and welding procedures across the UK.
UKAS-Accredited Welding Certification
Standards
Library
BS EN
1090
ISO
3834
BS EN
15085
ISO
9606
ISO
15614
ASME
IX
Inspection, Compliance, & Personnel Certification
Qualified welders guarantee the safety and excellence of welding operations, as well as the enduring success of various projects and businesses. Through our rigorous weld procedure and weld qualification testing that comply with national and international regulations, NECIT upholds the highest standards of welding excellence across industries including construction, manufacturing, transportation, nuclear, oil and gas, aerospace, automotive repair, and more.
With NECIT, you can be assured that all requirements for competence of permanent joining personnel and compliance of WPQR and weld procedures to international standards are satisfied and that appropriate approval documentation is issued on the basis of successful evaluation.
Welder Performance Qualification
All welder testing is conducted under NECIT’s ISO/IEC 17024-accredited Personnel Certification Scheme, ensuring certification is fully third-party verified and traceable to an internationally recognised competence standard. Our examination department is accredited and appointed as a Recognised Independent Third Party Organisation (RTPO) to witness and verify testing and certification of welders.
Welder performance testing is carried out by witnessing a welder following a written instruction to produce a test coupon. The written instruction usually comes as a Preliminary Welding Procedure Specification (pWPS) or a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS). Our examination team then coordinates the required non-destructive and/or destructive testing with independent UKAS accredited laboratories. Upon acceptable test results our certification department produces the relevant welder certification to one or more nationally or internationally recognised standards.
Weld Procedure Certification
NECIT’s comprehensive certification service produces a complete Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR) or Procedure Qualification Record (PQR), defining professional welding processes to ensure they meet every regulation required.
The Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR) captures all actual values and observations recorded during the test weld. NECIT ensures complete compliance and traceability throughout. Our fully trained and qualified examiners will attend your site, collect all of the required data, and coordinate the required non-destructive and destructive testing with independent UKAS accredited laboratories to compile the necessary documentation for our certification department to produce the WPQR certificate.
Welder Qualification Prolongation / Revalidation
Under our UKAS accredited Welder Qualification Scheme, NECIT endorses the prolongation/revalidation of welder qualifications.
Welder qualifications are required to be confirmed every 6 months by an employer or a supervisor. In order to do this, internal or external supporting documentation may be used to provide evidence that the welder has been working in accordance with their original qualification in line with a valid pWPS or WPS to which they were originally tested and qualified. Upon review of this documentation, welder qualifications can be prolonged for a further two years.
Real-time certification tracking. No more spreadsheets.
An expired welder qualification can halt a project, fail an audit, or call a completed weld into question and tracking renewal dates across a spreadsheet leaves too much room for error. NECIT's online portal puts every certificate in one place, with each welder's qualification status and expiry date visible at a glance.
You're alerted automatically as renewal and six-monthly revalidation dates approach, so nothing slips through unnoticed. No more chasing paperwork, no more missed deadlines, just live visibility of your team's compliance, whenever you need it.
Become an Approved Examination Centre.
Our network of NECIT Approved Examination Centres spans the UK, allowing training providers nationwide to conduct welder examinations in-house under NECIT’s UKAS-accredited ISO/IEC 17024 scheme. Take your first steps towards AEC approval and develop your reputation as a further and higher education provider with exceptional standards, excellent teaching, and top quality training opportunities
Frequently asked
What is a welding procedure qualification and why is it required before starting production?
A welding procedure qualification proves that a defined procedure will consistently produce joints with the required mechanical and metallurgical properties. A test weld is carried out under controlled conditions, and its essential variables, material, thickness, filler metal, joint configuration and the rest, are captured in a Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR). Establishing that evidence before production allows the work to meet the relevant code and gives clients assurance of structural integrity and compliance.
Frequently asked
How is a welder qualification test carried out to meet international standards?
A welder qualification test assesses whether an individual welder can follow a written procedure and produce a sound weld by hand. Under supervision, the welder produces a test coupon in accordance with a pWPS or WPS, which then undergoes non-destructive and destructive testing. On acceptable results, NECIT issues certification to the relevant standard, most often ISO 9606 or ASME IX, confirming the welder's competence across the qualified range of work.
Frequently asked
What is a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS), and how does it fit into quality control?
A Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) is the approved set of instructions a welder follows to produce a sound weld, defining parameters such as process, materials, joint design, heat input and technique. It is supported by a qualified WPQR. A validated WPS underpins quality control by making welding repeatable and predictable across a site or workshop, so every joint is produced to the same code-compliant standard.
Frequently asked
How does NECIT support businesses through the welding certification process?
As a UKAS-accredited, independent third party, NECIT witnesses and certifies welding tests for organisations worldwide. Our examiners attend your site, oversee testing to the required standard, coordinate any laboratory analysis, and issue the resulting welder performance qualification or weld procedure certificate. Because that certification is fully third-party verified, it carries weight with auditors, clients and regulators wherever your projects operate.
Frequently asked
Which standards govern a welder performance qualification test under European specifications?
In Europe, welder performance qualification is governed principally by the BS EN ISO 9606 series, which sets out the test conditions, ranges of approval and acceptance criteria for qualifying welders by process and material group. NECIT conducts and certifies testing to these standards and to ASME IX or other international codes where a project demands it, so your qualifications are recognised across the jurisdictions you work in.