The role of aid agencies in raising welding education, training and skills levels

Chris Smallbone, IIW Fellow, SAIW Fellow and Honorary Life Member, and John Tarboton, SAIW Executive Director, highlight the role of not-for-profit organisations such as the SAIW in working directly alongside global aid/donor agencies to improve the quality of life in developing countries. Most notably, SAIW’s work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Agency (UNIDO) across Africa is highlighted.

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The IAEA, UNIDO, and other national and international aid/donor organisations play prominent roles in assisting developing countries to implement strategies to improve education, training, skills and careers opportunities at various levels of personnel to meet the present and future needs of the welding industry. This while also progressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

During the past 45 years, the Southern African Institute of Welding (SAIW) has a fine record of supporting both the continental African community and the global community in welding related activities. It is a founder member of the International Institute of Welding (IIW) and has played prominent roles in working with many African and IIW member countries.

The SAIW embraces collective international action, cooperating and collaborating, where possible, to apply global solutions to global challenges. For example, SAIW is working in line with the South African Government’s national initiatives to help South Africa to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The SAIW also supports the recently released International Institute of Welding (IIW) NWC-SDGs report.

This paper shows examples of how SAIW has worked with aid/donor agencies to improve the national welding capabilities of African countries as well as progressing UN SDG 4: To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Such examples could also be used in other regions of the world, particularly by regional groups working with the IAEA and UNIDO amongst other aid and donor agencies.

SAIW hosted an NDT training course for a group of students from across Africa

SAIW hosting a delegation of approximately 60 delegates for the launch of the 2022 Nuclear Energy Management Schools programme (NEMS2022).

Regional opportunities

The IIW NWC-SDGs report (Volume 1 Section 5 pages 67 to 84) shows the countries of the world split into nine regions: Africa, South Asia, South-East Europe, Asia, Europe, Latin American and The Caribbean, Oceania, North American, and The Middle East.

The Report gives some ideas on how the countries in a particular region could cooperate and collaborate on projects. Examples of such collaboration in different regions could include the Asian Welding Federation (AWF), European Welding Federation (EWF), Southeast European Network (SEENET), SAIW-CETIME-IAEA, IAEA-ARCAL, IAEA-ARASIA and IAEA-ARC.

The International Institute of Welding (IIW) has linked its National Welding Capability (NWC) Project and the SDGs so that strategies can be introduced by a country including implementing a Flagship Programme with a single global focus ‘To assist the country to establish, sustain and improve its national welding capability and progress its UN Sustainable Development Goals’. Such a programme may have many associated initiatives and projects, but all relate to this single global focus.

The IIW NWC-SDGs Report also gives many examples of projects that could be initiated by the welding industry in a country covering each of the 17 SDGs. (SDGs Long Report Volume 2 Pages 6 to 49).

Lead Organisations in a country could seek to work with donor and aid organisations such as AFD, CIDA, CIDCA, EURADA, IAEA, FCDO UK, GIZ, UNCTAD, JICA, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNIDO, USAID, and World Bank Group (SDGs Long Report Volume 2 pgs 71 to 74).

Examples of past international cooperation and collaboration

There are many examples of how IIW Members have previously cooperated and collaborated with developing countries to assist in improving their national welding capabilities^[8].

Such examples include amongst others: Germany has assisted China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, South Korea and Indonesia; France has assisted Thailand, Morocco and Kazakhstan; UK has assisted Malaysia; USA has assisted Trinidad and Tobago; Japan has assisted Vietnam and Egypt; Austria has assisted Indonesia; South Africa has assisted Africa (through the IAEA) and Nigeria; while Holland and Canada have assisted South Africa; Portugal has assisted Brazil, Angola and Mexico; and Spain has assisted Peru and Mexico.

The main emphasis in all of the examples mentioned was on education, training and transfer of appropriate technologies. Even though these examples happened over the past three decades, the experiences and results achieved are still being used to introduce new projects today.

For example, the UN has had a range of programmes which countries benefitted from. Reference^[9] gives examples from a number of countries of UNIDO’s programme of direct support to industry under trust fund arrangements, Reference^[10] shows how UNIDO visited Vietnam to study the status of welding in Vietnam and the requirements for improvements and welding training development, and Reference^[11] shows many of the programmes which have been available within UNIDO to help developing Countries.

As an outcome of a meeting with UNIDO in 1994 in Vienna, the International Institute of Welding (IIW) through its IIW Board of Directors Working Group Regional Activities and Liaison with Developing Countries (WG-RA), introduced the unique IIW WeldCare Programme to assist developing countries improve their national welding capabilities, particularly through the establishment and/or growth of a not-for-profit national welding organisation. Some of the successes of this programme, including how it could be used for future challenges identified by the United Nations (UN) and many IIW members, were shown in 2007^[2].

SAIW Involvement with UNIDO

Since the introduction of the IIW education, training, qualification and certification programmes in South Africa in 2003, 151 International Welding Engineers (IWEs) have been trained and qualified at the Universities of Pretoria and Witwatersrand. 220 International Welding Technologists (IWTs), 333 International Welding Specialists (IWSs), 138 International Welding Practitioners (IWPs) and 1 537 International Welders have been trained and qualified at SAIW.^[19].

SAIW’s and IIW’s welding inspector training, qualification and certification programmes have been very successful, with 6 034 individuals being trained. Furthermore, 9 596 certificates have been issued in the main non-destructive testing (NDT) methods during the past eight years. In addition, nearly 30 000 days of welder training having successfully taken place on a variety of courses to meet the standards required for employment in industry

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialised agency of the United Nations with a unique mandate to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial and economic development. It supports countries to industrialise in ways that foster digital and green transitions and accelerate progress with the Sustainable Development Goals. UNIDO implements numerous actions to contribute to the SDGs and due to the interlinked nature of the SDGs, many of its activities contribute to more than one SDG.^[170]

Since 1994, SAIW has been involved with a number of initiatives with UNIDO and this has continued, even recently, with UNIDO creating a video showcasing SAIW’s capabilities and facilities in Johannesburg. Due to its success as an IIW Authorised Nominated Body (ANB), SAIW has been able to assist a number of African countries to become IIW Approved Training Bodies (ATBs). These have included Liberia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

African countries including SAIW (1997, 2006 and 2012), Nigerian Institute of Welding (NIW) (2009), the Central Metallurgical Research & Development Institute (CMRDI) in Egypt (2004) and the Centre Technique des Industries Mecaniques et Electriques (CETIME) in Tunisia (2010) have held very successful IIW International Congresses, and SAIW (2004 and 2018), NIW (2009), Egypt (2010) held technology innovation workshops as part of their technology transfer strategies in their national welding capability plans and regional support.

This is besides their own national conferences, seminars, workshops, training courses, R&D and technical support to their industries conducted on an on-going basis in their countries.

SAIW has become a continental leader in education, training, qualification and certification as an IIW Authorised Nominated Body (ANB) and IIW Authorised Nominated Body for Company Certification (ANBCC). This includes assisting other African countries. For example, with sponsorship from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), SAIW is working with Ethiopia, has established an IIW Approved Training Body (ATB) and is now training welding coordination personnel in Ethiopia.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) serves as the world’s foremost intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The IAEA strengthens the global nuclear safety and security framework. It identifies and promotes best practices and safety standards and implements programmes to assist states in applying these standards. The IAEA is also a key player in the effort to prevent nuclear terrorism ^[129].

The role of aid agencies in raising welding education training and skills levels

SAIW hosted an NDT training course for a group of students from across Africa, supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

To accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world, one of the main functions of the IAEA – in accordance with its Statute, Article II – is to assist member states with capacity building, sharing knowledge and expertise and assisting with the procurement of equipment.

The IAEA works with its member states to foster the role of nuclear science and technology applications in support of sustainable human development. Nuclear energy is favoured in many countries and with the advanced stage of development of small modular reactors (SMRs) changing the nuclear landscape, many more countries may embrace nuclear energy. Interest in nuclear power capacity has increased significantly in recent times with over 60 reactors currently under construction in 15 countries.

The role and importance of welding across the total life cycle in such projects is significant and raises the question of how a country can continually meet and upgrade the technologies and education, training and skills levels required at all levels of personnel.

SAIW’s involvement with the IAEA over the past 30 years in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) could be replicated in welding technology education, training and skills development areas in Africa and other different regions of the world.

SAIW and Africa: A very good example of African collaboration is shown by the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the development of non-destructive techniques for industrial quality control in Africa. In 1994, IAEA started funding a pan-African NDT training, qualification and certification programme conducted at the SAIW.

With delegates from Department of Energy and Electricity NECSA and SAIW

With delegates from Department of Energy and Electricity, NECSA and SAIW are, far left: Michel WARNAU, IAEA Section Head for Technical Cooperation in Africa; and middle front , Lerato Makgae, IAEA Chief Director, National Liaison Office.

For over 25 years, this has been very successfully implemented through the excellent cooperation and collaboration of the IAEA and many individuals and countries in Africa. South Africa (SAIW) and Tunisia (CETIME) became the two Regional Designated Centres (RDCs) for Non-Destructive Testing with the emphasis on training and certification of NDT personnel throughout Africa.

The African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) was established by African States to further strengthen and enlarge the contribution of nuclear science and technology to peaceful socio-economic development on the African continent. In 2004 this culminated in the formation of the African Federation for Non-Destructive Testing (AFNDT) in Khartoum.

Projects still continue today with SAIW hosting a delegation of approximately 60 delegates for the launch of the 2022 Nuclear Energy Management Schools programme (NEMS2022). NEMS2022 saw participants from 12 countries on the continent, along with IAEA Staff Members from Vienna in Austria. Countries represented included Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia. These initiatives show the potential for similar cooperative and collaborative projects in the welding related industries.

The IAEA has a very good record of encouraging cooperation and collaboration in training in nuclear science and technology on the continent as evidenced by its work with 27 universities in Africa. A meeting was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on 14‑16 August 2023 to progress this subject.^[231]

SAIW is also powering ahead with its collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Council of South Africa (Necsa). Facilitated by the South African Department of Energy, a Nuclear School of Excellence is being established within the Necsa Learning Academy to introduce advanced training techniques to bolster the continent’s nuclear sector. The School of Excellence is scheduled to commence in the first half of 2025 and will offer a range of specialised courses focusing on welding and NDT within the nuclear sector involving nuclear safety, precision measurement, and consultancy services.

Countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa have already published reports on how improving their national welding capabilities will positively affect the UN SDGs in their countries. South Africa and Nigeria, in particular, are already sharing their expertise and experiences across Africa at international level in areas such as education, training, qualification and certification of welding related personnel at all levels as well as certification of companies to international standards.

For example, today SAIW has more than 330 companies certified to the IIW Manufacturer Certification Scheme According to ISO 3834 thus helping cities and human settlements to be safe, resilient and sustainable^[19].

Latin America and the Caribbean: There are previous examples of a number of major training projects involving countries in Latin America and the Caribbean which were initiated and supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through the promotion of advanced inspection techniques and applications in non-destructive testing.^{[138], [139]}

A good example of countries cooperating with the assistance of the IAEA is the Cooperation Agreement for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL). The countries involved included Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Asia and Oceania: An example of present cooperation between countries in the Asia and Oceania regions is shown by the Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology for Asia and the Pacific (RCA). Countries cooperating with the assistance of the IAEA are Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Middle East: An example of a cooperative arrangement with the assistance of IAEA is the Cooperative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (ARASIA). The countries involved are Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. They host five Regional Resource Centres that serve as hubs for capacity building in nuclear science and technology in the region.

Some recommended strategies to put in place

Section 1 of the IIW NWC-SDGs long report, Volume 2: Potential NWC and SDGs Welding Industry Projects and Resources shows some strategies, complete with potential resources, which could be implemented in different regions and countries.

Working with organisations such as IAEA, UNIDO,UNESCO, WHO and other similar national and international organisations, one can investigate, recommend and implement measures that will ensure that the optimum education and training is performed to produce outcomes to meet the needs of the different welding-related industry sectors in a country or region.

These would include skills levels and career paths and routes for people including helping ensure lifelong learning opportunities and employment, alleviating poverty and improving the quality of life of so many.

References