African Fusion November 2020

President’s Report

ISO3834 activities fall within the remit of SAIWCertification, it is pleasing to report that the ISO 3834 scheme continues to grow, with 250 companies certified and 50 more companies currently in various stages of the certificationprocess. A total of 863 persons received qualifications in 2019 and the total number of certified persons was 3037, a figure that includes people with multiple certifications. International affairs and external relationships IIW: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2020 IIW Annual Assembly and Interna- tional Conference was held online be- tween the 15 th and 28 th of July. Herman Potgieter attended meetings online as a delegate. ICNDT: SAIW provides international recognition to certified NDT individuals. The ICNDT Accreditation is still valid and ongoing with regards to the NDT Certifi- cation of Personnel. AFRA/IAEA: AFRA/IAEA has funded a contract between SAIW and Hydrac (Cameroon) for re-establishing an Ap- proved Training, Authorised Qualifica- tion and Certification Body. COVID-19 travel restriction has put this project on hold, however. University relationships: SAIW con- tinues its close relationship with both Wits and Pretoria Universities where each university continues tomake good progress on its respective welding en- gineer and research and development programmes in the field of welding. Concluding his report, Maroga said: “We need every single member of staff to do his or her utmost to ensure that SAIW is seen to be a competent and pro- fessional organisation. People should want to come here knowing they are getting the best training possible and the best support and consultancy ser- vices available anywhere in the country and continent. “I would personally like to thank all SAIW staff members for their hard work and contribution over the past year. The coming year will certainly be the most challenging of years in living memory, but the Institute has faced difficulties in the past and overcome them. I am sure that for the next couple of years, we will all put our shoulders to the wheel and work dynamically towards the recovery of the SAIW,” he said, before also thanking the loyal and hardwork- ing board members for their ongoing commitment.

benefit. Currently, virtual training isbeing successfully offeredand twoaudio visual systems have now been acquired. Not only does it assist with extending learn- ing from the three SAIW branches, but it alsoallows thenumber of lower demand courses to be offered at the Durban and Cape Townbranches, live streamed from Johannesburg. This increases class sizes and stimulates interactions between the students and lecturers. For blended learning, Zichawo has identified Google Education Suite as a possible means by which the SAIW can offer classes online. Virtual classes can be run off this platform where livestreamed lecture sessions can take place. This technology will be tested with a group of learners in West Africa using the International Welder theory coursework and a full project looks set to go ahead, possibly this year, also via online learning, as previously discussed. Practical Welding School: Etienne Nell holds that the practical welding school is the ‘shop window’ of the SAIW. Fab- rication project work often starts with practical welding, so it is important to revitalise this key department of the SAIW. Augmented, virtual and live welder training technologies can now be effectively used to train and screen welders. Simulationwelding equipment saves fabricators money by minimising training time; reducing consumable costs; and ensuring welders are well trained. The current key focus of the Welding School is on engaging fabricators to use SAIW to train apprentices to the QCTO curriculum. Client Services: Michelle Warmback reported that at the beginning of June 2020, administration had been restruc- tured to improve the Institute’s com- municationwith students. A committed Front of House Student Liaison Officer will carry out all the direct student/cli- ent enquiries and queries, thereafter all administrationwill be completed by the administrator. This ought to improve the handling of student bookings which, in turn, will allow the training managers to make firm decisions on the viability of running scheduled courses. The student surveys will be used to monitor improvements and the existing Student Management System (SMS) has been redeveloped to incorporate exam rewrites, which will be available online from September 2020. Qualification and Certification: Whilst

NDT is a critical area in both manufacturing and plant maintenance.

The SAIW Testing Laboratory has now regained ISO 17025 accreditation. The Testing Laboratory team consists of, from left: KG Letlole, Nicoline Kgoedi, Confidence Lekoane and Riaan Loots.

and Level 3; on-line Level 3 workshop targeting regional SAIW branched and Cameroon; presenting one NDT Webi- nars per quarter; one online NDT for Engineers course; on-line theory forma- tive and summative assessments; as well as an on-line theory qualification examinations. Welding technology: Shelton Zichawo noted that the SAIWWelding and Fabri- cator Inspector Level 1 course has been upgraded and further improvements are ongoing, with tests being added to the end of each topic. SAIWWelding and Fabricator Inspector Level 2 will also need more time to refine from its cur- rent state, though this work was started during the Lockdown period. The IWP course notes are being over- hauled prior to delivering the course in Ethiopia and the International Welder course notes will also be reviewed and revised to give the Liberia project stu- dents an enhanced learning experience. The Training, Technology, Health and Safety Committee has suggested devel- oping refresher sessions for a range of SAIW courses via webinars, which may be offered as an additional membership

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November 2020

AFRICAN FUSION