Welding & Machine Trades
Welding is a skill used by many trades: sheet metal workers, ironworkers, diesel mechanics, boilermakers, carpenters, marine construction, steamfitters, glaziers, repair and maintenance
personnel in applications ranging from the home hobbyist to heavy fabrication of bridges, ships and many other projects. A variety of welding processes are used to join units of metal. As a welder, you may work for shipyards, manufacturers, contractors, federal, state, county, and city governments, firms requiring maintenance mechanics, and repair shops.
Welding, while very physically demanding, can be very rewarding for those who enjoy working with their hands. Welders need good eyesight, manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. They should also be able to concentrate for long periods of time on very detailed work, as well as be in good enough physical shape to bend and stoop, often holding awkward positions for long periods of time. Welders work in a variety of environments, both indoors and out, using heat to melt and fuse separate pieces of metal together. Training and skill levels can vary, with a few weeks of school or on-the-job training for the lowest level job and several years of school and experience for the more skilled welding positions.
Skilled welders often select and set up the welding equipment, execute the weld, and then examine the welds in order to make sure they meet the appropriate specifications. They may also be trained to work in a variety of materials, such as plastic, titanium or aluminum. Those with less training perform more routine tasks, such as the welds on jobs that have already been laid out, and are not able to work with as many different materials.
While the need for welders as a whole should continue to grow about as fast as average, according the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for low-skilled welders should decrease dramatically, as many companies
move towards automation. However, this will be partially balanced out by the fact that the demand for machine setters, operators and tenders should increase. And more skilled welders on construction projects and equipment repair should not be affected, as most of these jobs cannot be easily automated. Because of the increased need for highly skilled welders, those with formal training will have a much better chance of getting the position they desire. For those considering to prepare themselves to a meaningful welding-career, there are many options available.
There are also different professional specialties and levels, that should be understood to make an informed choice. Some of these are: welder, welding machine operator, welding technician, welding schedule developer, welding procedure writer, testing laboratory technician, welding non destructive testing inspector, welding supervisor, welding instructor, welding engineer.
Make a list of all the words in the text indicating:
a) welding professions and levels: welder, welding machine operator, ...
b) trades where welding skill is used: ...
c) places/fields a welder can work at (in): ...
d) personal qualities a welder should have:
Answer the following questions on the text.
1. What are the trades where welding skills are used?
2. Where can welders work?
3. What personal characteristics should welders have?
4. How does the environment in which welders work vary?
5. What does it take to be s low-skilled/skilled welder?
6. What are welders able to do in terms of complexity of tasks and variety of materials?
7. What are the job opportunities for low-skilled/skilled welders for the nearest future as specified by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics?
8. What are the advantages of having formal training for making a welding career?
9. As you see, welding includes various professional specialties and levels. What is yours?
Translate the following sentences from Russian into English:
1. Сфера применения сварки охватывает большое количество областей промышленности.
2. Профессия сварщика требует физической выносливости из-за частой необходимости работы в нестационарных условиях.
3. Для того чтобы стать квалифицированным сварщиком, необходима длительная теоретическая подготовка и практический опыт работы.
4. Квалифицированный сварщик должен сам уметь подбирать необходимое сварочное оборудование, материалы и технику сварки.
5. Чем выше квалификация сварщика, тем больше количество материалов, с которыми он может работать, и разнообразнее виды выполняемых работ.
6. В настоящее время имеются большие возможности для освоения профессии сварщика.
Look through the last paragraph of the text and say, what exactly, in your opinion, the following welding specialists do:
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welder |
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welding machine operator |
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welding technician |
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welding schedule developer |
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welding procedure writer |
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testing laboratory technician |
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welding non destructive testing inspector |
Write five sentences (one per each paragraph) summarizing the main ideas of the text.
Skim the text to understand its main ideas
